Sigma Alpha Iota

Service Projects Flint Alumnae Chapter Hosts Festivals of Quilts I n September of 2011, the Flint Alumnae Intercession's mission is to break the cycle of bringing specific principles to reentry by which Chapter of SAI joined with Motherly intergenerational incarceration and save the each Homecomer (individual returning from Intercession to serve as a host site for lives of young innocent children by providing prison) would undergo a journey of personal the Flint Festival of Quilts. Realizing them a system of support which includes transformation, development, learning and the needs of both organizations, Chapter Academic Tutoring, Civics and Government service that would build on their strengths, create President Rosemary Lutz coordinated a service Education, Social & Life Skills Training, the strong nurturing peer networks needed to project with a community need. Family Preservation, and Arts and Culture succeed, and rebuild family and community Education.   networks of mutual support. her 13 Scriptures on Quilts and Powerpoint presentation as well as her Symphony of Quilts a fundraising yard sale. Members of Flint Interceding Garden" grows, we can know that that serve as a pattern to integrate text, music, Alumnae Chapter donated items to the sale. In SAI has contributed to making a difference in and art. Intercession, a nonprofit organization, June, I received an invitation to participate in the our community. needed funding and public exposure of their Annual Flint Festival of Quilts held the second program and was located downtown Flint near weekend of September. Once accepted, I began the Cultural Center. working on the quilt that would be on display during the Flint Festival of Quilts and raffled in Rosemary was looking for a place to display Rosemary remembers: "I was visiting family "In May, 2011 Motherly Intercession held in Virginia in October 2010. I went into a quilt November during Motherly Intercession's annual shop in Madison. On the sale shelf was some Interceding for Children's Fund Raising Dinner. beautiful "rose" printed fabric. In the back of my mind, I saw this as a potential quilt that one day Garden' came to mind. The interlocking circles might be used as a raffle item for an SAI service of the wedding ring pattern emphasize what project. Six months later I was reading Hebrews Motherly Intercession is all about. The program, 13:3 'Remember those who are in prison, as the volunteers, and the participants are all though in prison with them, …' when I was focused on building healthy bonds between interrupted by a phone call from a friend. Her parent and child. name is Shirley Cochran. Let me introduce you to her. went to Motherly Intercession's Art and Culture Program. In return, the children performed at "One Christmas Eve, Shirley Cochran "As I was quilting, the title 'The Interceding "All proceeds from the raffle ticket sales was touched with the thought of finding one the Fundraising Dinner. They truly captured our incarcerated mother who would not be home hearts. They even produced their own music CD with her children at Christmas. She visited for a fundraising item!" the Genesee County Jail and discovered the unbelievable number of children who were left ticket purchased by Maureen Shipley, Home behind because of poor choices made by their – School Liaison for Seymour Elementary in parents. At one point, 20,000 children were Flushing, Michigan. On behalf of the students identified in Genesee County alone. to one of the guest speakers, Curtis Watkins, "In 1999, Shirley and her family and friends The story continues with the winning raffle began serving the children of incarcerated Executive Director of the Phelps Stokes, National parents by starting a non-profit organization Homecomers Academy (NHA) in Washington titled, Motherly Intercession. Motherly D.C. The mission of the NHA is to assist with on alumnae chapter musicales.  Recipient of the Sword of Honor (1991) and the Rose of Honor (2005), in 1994, Miriam was awarded the Zeta A Province Alumnae Leadership Award.   Recognized as a leading promoter of the arts in Tulsa, Miriam remains active in Tulsa's Hyechka Club which she served as president on two occasions.  She and her mother, Nelle Garbutt Spindler, established the Hyechka Piano Scholarship for high school juniors, an award first presented in 1978.  Miriam is a life-long member of Wednesday Morning Musicale (WMM), an organization which her mother, Nelle Spindler, founded in MOTHERLY INTERCESSION MISSION Motherly Intercession's mission is to break the cycle of intergenerational incarceration. We do so by providing the children a system of support, which includes: • Academic Tutoring • Social and Life Skills Training • Arts and Culture Education • Civic and Government Education • Family Preservation VISION Our vision is the children of incarcerated parents will realize their parent's destiny does not have to be their destiny! DISCLAIMER at Seymour Elementary, Maureen gifted the quilt As lives are transformed and "The It is not the intent of the Executive Board of Directors, Advisory Board, Staff, Volunteers, or the Supporters of Motherly Intercession to diminish the impact that the crimes committed by the incarcerated parent has made on our Community. We do not condone any action that does not fall within the guidelines of the law. CLICK FOR MORE For more information, visit: Motherly-intercession.org 1921.  Miriam served Wednesday Morning Musicale as its president for three separate two-year terms.  Formerly a performing member of WMM, Miriam is now a literary/honorary (emeritus) member of the group. Other music organizations in which Miriam is involved include Chamber Music Tulsa and Tulsa Accredited Music Teachers. One of the practice studios in the new Lorton Performance Center at her alma mater, the University of Tulsa, bears her name, a contribution made in conjunction with the Hyechka Club. — Sue Amstutz Pan Pipes / Tempo! Correspondent sai-national.org WINTER 2012 PAN PIPES 11

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