Delta House Life Development of Asheville, Inc. Celebrates 25 Years of Service
Committed to excellence in education, cultural arts, and social enrichment.
Delta House Life Development of Asheville will celebrate 25 years of service to the Asheville community and 10 years of its “Beat the Odds” program with a dinner and awards ceremony Saturday, November 8, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. in the Highsmith Student Union Alumni Hall on the campus of UNC Asheville.
The Beat the Odds Awards Program, initiated by the Children’s Defense Fund in 1990, celebrates and underscores the positive potential of our nation’s youth and is celebrated in several states across the country.
The November 8 ceremony will highlight the accomplishments of the 2008 Beat the Odds honorees, who have overcome tremendous obstacles in their lives. Four students are from Asheville High School: senior Gregory Weaver, juniors Tyneisha Hamilton and Zequoia Jordan, and freshman Omowalé “Omo” Hardy; honoree Shabree Williams is a senior at Clyde A. Erwin High School. Each student will receive a scholarship to assist them in pursuing their career goals upon completing high school.
Since 1998, more than 60 students have received Beat the Odds awards. The honored students must demonstrate academic excellence and personal achievement in their struggles to improve their own lives as well as the lives of others. Beat the Odds also honors the families, teachers, school social workers, counselors, and others who have helped the students along the way. Says Shirley Whitesides, chairperson of Delta House, “While we often hear about adolescents getting into trouble, dropping out of school, becoming involved with drugs, crime, or gangs, and becoming parents too soon, the Beat the Odds program presents a positive view of our youth.”
The Delta House’s vision is to be “an organization committed to excellence in education, cultural arts, and social enrichment programs in a diverse community providing leadership through cooperation and collaboration.” The organization comprises college-educated women who, according to its mission statement, “are committed to providing wholesome activities, programs, and projects which foster the educational, health, economic, cultural, and social development of students and adults as well as the economically disadvantaged and underprivileged, with the primary focus on the minority community.
In partial fulfillment of that mission, Delta House offers the BOOST After School Program from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday afternoons. The acronym “stands for Boosting Our Outstanding Students to the Top,” says Whitesides. “BOOST students in grades six through 12 receive services in academic coaching, homework assistance, and mentoring, and they study music, art, and computer skills, learn social graces and life skills, and participate in field trips and cultural enrichment programs after the school day ends.
Delta House Life Development of Asheville, Inc. (formerly Asheville Alumnae Delta House, Inc.), headquartered at 218 South French Board Avenue, was incorporated on December 20, 1983. Through grants, fundraisers, and contributions, Delta House was renovated and opened to the public in 1985. Delta House recently received a $60,000 grant from the Janirve Foundation that funded repairs and renovations to the facility.
For those interested in the work of Delta House, contact any board member. The Officers are: Shirley W. Whitesides, Chairman; Lettie W. Polite, First Vice-President; Zanie B. Davidson, Second Vice-President; Marjorie Locke, Secretary; Elizabeth S. Rowland, Assistant Secretary; Maxine C. Teamer, Treasurer; and Angela F. Ellison, Historian. Corporation Members are Grace Bacoate, Wilhelmina Bratton, Trevor S. Chavis, Sadie D. Cunningham, Elaine Curry, Carol Goins, Jacqueline Grant, Jacquelyn Hallum, Tanisha Jenkins, Ayesha McArthur, La Juana E. Montgomery, Eula Shaw, Mary Talford, Doris Walker, Anita White-Carter, and Cheryl Witherspoon.
