Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • Summer 2025 13 By Amanda Riffert The idea for the Meg D'Errico Memorial Grant started coming together in 2022. The Northern Delaware Alumnae Chapter had been donating money to the Music School of Delaware to fund a scholarship since 2016. With the pandemic leveling out, they wanted to do something more hands-on to give back to the local community. They wanted to be sure the money and efforts would go where they were truly needed, so one of the stipulations of the grant would be that it could only be awarded to a Title 1 school. They would also offer a choice between money or other assistance (program folding and printing, concert setup and teardown, etc.). As the grant parameters were taking shape, the chapter moved and approved to name it after SAI member Meg D'Errico, who had passed away quite suddenly in 2019. It was the first time Northern Delaware had lost a sister. Meg (Thieme) D'Errico joined SAI in 2000 at Lebanon Valley College, graduating with a BS in Music Education in 2003. She worked in southern New Jersey for the duration of her career, teaching primarily K–5 classroom music and choir at the DeMasi schools. One of her favorite things to do was teach a song about animals to her classes; she unerringly had her students absolutely convinced every year that she actually had all the animals in the song. Former students would catch up with her children and ask what it was like to live with all the animals. A scholarship has also been created in her name for eighth graders. The first school selected to receive the Meg D'Errico Grant in 2023, Towne Point Elementary School, had picked an obscure song for their Music in the Parks performance. As a result, they had neither accompaniment nor rehearsal tracks. The chapter was able to find the music and record the tracks, which enabled Ms. Thompson's choir to place first in their division in May. The 2024 grant recipient, Brookside Elementary School, requested funding assistance. The Northern Delaware Alumnae Chapter was also awarded the Chapter Outreach Grant through SAI Philanthropies, Inc., which allowed them to double the size of the memorial grant. The monies awarded allowed the school to purchase strings, rosin, and shoulder rests to support the string program. In 2025, the Gateway Lab School also opted for financial help, and the chapter is still getting details on what this year's grant will specifically fund. The Grant Committee was delighted to attend the school's winter concert, which featured choirs by grade, a steel pan ensemble, and some faculty performances as well. Meg affiliated with the Northern Delaware Alumnae Chapter in 2015. At the same time, she was working on a Masters in Horn Performance at West Chester University, earning the degree in 2017. She loved performing with the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey. A great and loving mother, Meg's eldest (Aron) will be graduating High School this year. Her youngest (Ellie) takes after her with a deep love of theatre. Chapter Spotlight • Privilege of affiliating with an alumnae chapter • Annual subscription to the award-winning SAI quarterly journal – PAN PIPES • Opportunities to learn about Planned Giving through SAI Philanthropies, Inc. • Regular issues of the SAI national newsletter Tempo! • Special products through our official jeweler, Herff Jones Greek • National Convention/Leadership Seminar updates • Current announcements about career development grants and graduate awards under the auspices of our foundation, SAI Philanthropies, Inc. Meg D'Errico Memorial Grant You've graduated... now what? Join the SAI Alumnae Association The SAI Alumnae Association gives our members the opportunity to stay more closely connected to SAI throughout their lifetime and to continue to support SAI programs and initiatives. Membership is $50 a year and enables you to apply for grants and scholarships and receive PAN PIPES and Tempo! To join or renew your membership, email nh@sai-national.org with your name and initiating chapter. BENEFITS OF THE SAI ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION Meg D'Errico Meg D'Errico

• Cover