Beta Theta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
April Newsletter - Issue #5 PDF Print E-mail
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 17:15
Beta Theta Lambda Chapter completed our participation in the Initial Membership Development Program (IMDP) in March, 2012. We are pleased to welcome two new Brothers to our chapter. While probates, they completed two projects for our Brothers’ Keeper Program - - one at the home of senior brother Walter Brown and the other at the home of an Alpha widow, Mrs. Mozella McLaughlin.

We continue to make a difference in our community with the implementation of our national service programs: Brothers’ Keeper, Project Alpha, and A Voteless People is a Hopeless People were focal points during the month. Thanks to all the Brothers who participated.

The latter part of March, the Brothers of BTL journeyed to Columbia, SC to attend the Southern Region Convention. We were at full delegate strength. Congratulations to Brother Carl Pickney who was installed as the new ANCA District Director. The Delegates’ reports will be presented at our next monthly meeting. It will also be placed in our DropBox for all Brothers in good standing to peruse.


In April, BTL will participate in the March of Dimes “WalkAmerica” activity. This service activity is a fund raiser for the March of Dines and will be held on Saturday, April 28th. All Brothers are encouraged to participate in this fund raising activity.


I encourage you to visit our web page at http://www.btlalpha.org for additional information on our activities and calendar of events.


Fraternally yours,
Brother Baldwin Gammage
Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 April 2012 18:15
 
March Newsletter - Issue #4 PDF Print E-mail
February was a momentous month for the Brothers of Beta Theta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. We held our annual Super Bowl Party on February 5th. Most Brothers were pulling for the New York Giants but a few favored the New England Patriots. You know by now that the G-Men won. Special thanks to Brother Vaughan for sharing his beautiful home with us for this event, and to Brothers Clifton and Dudley for helping to make the activity successful. When it was all over, we were full of appetizing food and libations, which made the fellowship last a little longer.

On February 14th, we held our annual Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Dinner at Parizade Restaurant. The setting was beautiful and the air was filled with romance as the Brothers of BTL and their Sweethearts enjoyed the evening. Special entertainment included selections by Brother Reginald Smith’s daughter, LaPrince. Her melodious voice added a special touch to the evening. Others on the program included Brother Walter Brown who recited the Sweetheart Poem, and Brother Craig Page who gave the toast to our Sweethearts. Special thanks to Brother Bill Small for planning and coordinating this special event. The ambiance, food, music, and fellowship made it an enjoyable and memorable event.

We also kicked off our new IMDP pilot intake activities in February. The new program is a four week trial to document the pros and cons of changing the membership process. It will be completed in March with an old fashioned Alpha Banquet similar to the one our Founders experienced back in 1906.

We are making plans to attend the 81st Southern Region Convention in Columbia, SC on March 22 through 25, 2012.
Delegates have been selected and given assignments. I encourage you to keep up with activities of our chapter on our web page, http://www.btlalpha.org.

Fraternally yours,
Brother Baldwin Gammage

Click here to read the entire March newsletter
Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 April 2012 18:16
 
February Newsletter - Issue #3 PDF Print E-mail
Tuesday, 07 February 2012 16:55
The Brothers of Beta Theta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. continue to have a visible presence in the Durham Community.
The month of January was a busy and exciting month for us as we honored the memory of our Brother, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and celebrated his 83rd birthday anniversary through various programs and activities. Our involvement and participation included: serving as members of the Durham Martin Luther King Steering Committee; attending the 32nd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Triangle Interfaith Prayer Breakfast at the Sheraton Hotel; and participating in the Unity March & Rally. Beta Theta Lambda Brothers, including Brother Charlie Nelms, Chancellor of North Carolina Central University, proudly marched behind the Alpha Phi Alpha Banner in the Unity March that ended at the First Presbyterian Church. The culminating activity was the Annual Durham Religious Celebration held at the Kings Park International Church. Beta Theta Lambda Brothers served as ushers, members of the MLK Jr. Choir, and director of The Southern Groove Gig Band - - Southern High School. Our own Brother Leonardo Williams, Band Director, was the recipient of the 2012 “Keeper of the Dream” Award in recognition of outstanding leadership and service. Congratulations, Brother Williams!
We continue to make a difference each month in the lives of young males through our extraordinary “Go to High School Go to College” mentoring program. Thanks to Brother McDougal for his outstanding leadership and implementation of this National Program.

I am also pleased that our first meeting of the calendar year was very well attended. First time attendees were Brother Nathan Garrett, Brother Raymond C. Pierce, Brother Arthur G. Affleck, and Brother Sheldon Dunlap. Please reach out to these Brothers and welcome them into Beta Theta Lambda Chapter.

Click here to read the entire February newsletter
Last Updated on Tuesday, 07 February 2012 18:34
 
Triangle Area Events to Celebrate the Life and Legacy of Brother Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday PDF Print E-mail

 

Sunday

-- Duke University's Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration, 3 p.m. in Duke Chapel, 401 Chapel

Drive, Durham. Veteran political strategist and commentator Donna Brazile will give the

keynote address.

 

-- Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., 4 p.m. at the Garner Performing

Arts Center, 742 W. Garner Road, Garner. Keynote speaker will be Reuben Young, secretary of

the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.

 

-- UNC-Chapel Hill/Community Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Banquet. 6 p.m. at Friday

Center, Chapel Hill. Keynote speaker is Brother Ambassador James A. Joseph.

 

-- Shaw University tribute. 7 p.m. at Thomas Boyd Chapel, 118 E. South Street, Raleigh.

Keynote Speaker Brother Judge Craig Croom.

 

Monday

-- 32nd Annual Martin Luther King Triangle Interfaith Prayer Breakfast, 7 a.m. at the Sheraton

Imperial Hotel, Research Triangle Park. Keynote speaker will be Cynthia Marshall, president of

AT&T of North Carolina. U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan also will speak, and Raleigh radio icon Ray "Dr.

Jocko" Henderson will be honored. For the first time, the breakfast will be televised live on

WRAL-TV. Doors will open at 6 a.m.

 

-- Fuquay-Varina Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. 8:30 a.m. march from Fuquay-Varina

Middle on Ennis Street to St. Augusta Missionary Church, 605 Bridge St., Fuquay-Varina.

 

-- Triangle Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Durham, Johnston, Orange and Wake counties

will host nearly 30 community service projects to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King.

Durham's Signature Project is from 9 a.m. to noon at American Tobacco Campus, Bay 7, where

volunteers will help with a variety of projects, including assembly of homeless hygiene kits,

computer drop-off and cleaning, book drive sorting, and writing letters and creating valentines

for veterans and active military. Johnston's Signature Project is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Pizazz

Thrift Store, where volunteers will conduct diaper, new underwear, clothing and nonperishable

food drives. Orange's Signature Project is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Christ United Methodist

Church, where volunteers will work on projects including assembly of health kits and clothes

sorting. Wake's Signature Project is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at White Plains Children's Center,

where volunteers will assemble homeless hygiene kits, sort books for a book drive, and write

letters for veterans and active military. See www.unitedwaytriangle.org/mlk/.

 

-- Chapel Hill Martin Luther King Jr. Rally, March and Worship Service. Meet at 9 a.m. for

march down Franklin Street, Chapel Hill. The march will end at First Baptist Church, 106 N.

Roberson St., where a church service will take place at 11 a.m. Former Rep. Larry Hall will

speak.

 

-- Stop Hunger Now project. 9:30 a.m. at Duke University's Freeman Center, 1415 Faber St.,

Durham. Members from Duke, N.C. Central University and the Durham Rotary Club are

coordinating the Million Meals Project, which is expected to package 80,000 meals.

 

-- MLK Youth Leadership Program. 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in Student Union Room 2518, UNC-Chapel

Hill campus. High school students will explore how to represent Martin Luther King's legacy.

 

--Remembering Martin Luther King, Social Justice & Equal Rights 10am – noon, Holy Cross

Catholic Church, 4324 South Alston Avenue,  Durham, NC 27713. The Keynote speaker will be

Martin Eakes, Chief Executive Officer, Self-Help/Center for Responsible Lending in Durham,

North Carolina.

 

-- 32nd Annual Martin Luther King Memorial March. Assemble at 10 a.m. on the grounds of the

State Capitol, and depart at 11 a.m. The theme for this year's celebration is "From The Dream to

Reality - Economic & Social Equality - More Work to Be Done."

 

-- Birthday party held in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. for area children at Northgate Mall,

1058 West Club Blvd., Durham. A reading at 10 a.m. of "Child of the Civil Rights

Movement" by Paula Young Shelton, daughter of civil rights activist Brother

Andrew Young, will be held for preschool children. A reading at noon will be held

for school-age children. Between the readings, Young Shelton will sign the book. The event is

sponsored by NC MomsRising, the Durham Mothers Club, the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Mothers

Club, Northgate Books, Northgate Mall and Lango Kids.

 

-- 32nd Annual Martin Luther King Ecumenical Observance, noon at the Progress Energy Center

for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh. The Rev. Nelson Johnson, executive director of

The Beloved Community Development Center in Greensboro, will be the keynote speaker.

 

-- 23rd Annual MLK Blood Drive, 1 to 6 p.m. at Hargraves Recreation Center, 216 N. Roberson

St., Chapel Hill. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Area Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority

Inc. is sponsoring the drive along with the American Red Cross.

 

-- Duke University sit-in. 3:30 p.m. at Bryan Center and Chapel Quad, Duke University campus.

Student groups and other volunteers will participate in a sit-in on the quad, following an example

from a 1968 Duke student sit-in. It will feature recordings of speeches by Martin Luther King Jr.

 

-- C-Span remote satellite bus. The C-Span Network will be sending a remote satellite bus to

Raleigh for the march and ecumenical observance. It will be parked in front of Memorial

Auditorium in downtown Raleigh.  --Unity Dinner. 5 p.m. in Great Hall, UNC-Chapel Hill campus. All participants must register via

email to mlkunitydinner2012@gmail.com. Guest speaker will be Hodding Carter, III, a professor

of Leadership and Public Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill.

 

-- 32nd Annual Martin Luther King Evening Musical Celebration, 5:30 p.m. at the Progress

Energy Center in downtown Raleigh. Headlining will be national recording artist Ernest Pugh

from Maryland.

 

-- "He Was a Poem, He Was a Song." 7 p.m. at Stone Center Hitchcock Multipurpose Room,

UNC-Chapel Hill campus. Explore Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy through music, poetry and

spoken word.

Tuesday

 

-- MLK Celebration at Wake Tech Community College's Northern Wake Campus, 11 a.m. in

Building D, Room 125, 6600 Louisburg Road, Raleigh.

 

-- Keynote address at Duke University. Noon at the North Pavilion Lecture Hall, Duke Hospital.

English and African American Studies professor Maurice Wallace will deliver the address,

"Dreaming Martin: Mountaintops, Memory and the Monumental Martin Luther King, Jr."

 

-- Candlelight Vigil. 6:15 p.m. at Campus Y Faculty Lounge, UNC-Chapel Hill campus.

 

-- 31st Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture. 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium,

UNC-Chapel Hill campus. Keynote Speaker will be Former ambassador,

congressman and Mayor Brother Andrew Young. Brother Young brings a unique

perspective formed by his wealth of experience in national and global leadership to his focus on

the challenges of this era. He confronted segregation with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and

galvanized a movement that transformed a nation through non-violence. Young was a key

strategist and negotiator during the Civil Rights Campaigns in Birmingham and Selma that

resulted in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

memorialhall.unc.edu

Wednesday

 

-- MLK Celebration at Wake Tech Community College's Health Sciences Campus, noon in the

Student Lounge of the Health Ed. Building, 2901 Holston Lane, Raleigh (behind WakeMed).

 

-- Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Contest. 6 p.m. at Stone Center Auditorium, UNC-Chapel

Hill campus. Sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

 

-- Speech by Michele Norris, co-host of NPR's "All Things Considered." 8 p.m. in Reynolds

Theater, Duke University campus.

Thursday--MLK Convocation at N.C. Central University, 9:45 a.m. in the B.N. Duke Auditorium on the

NCCU campus. Brother Chancellor Charlie Nelms will deliver the address. After

the convocation, a rally will take place at the Shepard House.

 

-- "Identifying Freedom: Implications for Civic Engagement." Noon at Breedlove Room, Perkins

Library, Duke University campus. A panel of Duke Faculty from public policy, African

American studies, sociology and Latin American and Caribbean studies will discuss King's

legacy of civic engagement.

 

-- Wake Forest's Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. 6 p.m. at Friendship Chapel Baptist Church,

237 Friendship Chapel Road, Wake Forest. After the 6 p.m. dinner, the program will begin at 7

p.m. Wake Forest native Roger Shackleford is the speaker.

Friday, Jan 20

 

--"I, Too, Sing America" 6:30 p.m. at Stone Center Hitchcock Multipurpose Room, UNC-Chapel

Hill campus. Generational perspectives of the poem "I, Too, Sing America."

 

Last Updated on Sunday, 15 January 2012 23:22
 
January Newsletter - Issue #2 PDF Print E-mail

President's Remarks

Happy New Year!
Looking back over 2011, the beloved Bull City Brothers can be proud of all of their accomplishments. From the beginning to the end BTL has made a difference in the lives of many in Durham, North Carolina. Our National Programs of Go to High School/Go to College, an Excellence in Education mentoring program; A Voteless People is a Hopeless People, our Political Thrust; Project Alpha where we collaborate with the March of Dimes to help young men make responsible decisions concerning HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, and also providing education on sexuality, fatherhood and the role of males in relationships; and Brother’s Keeper Program which assists our senior Brothers and widows of deceased Brothers in a plethora of daily tasks. 

We completed another successful Thanksgiving project this year. BTL Brothers remembered the least of these as we delivered complete Thanksgiving dinners to families in Durham. The recipients expressed their gratitude for the delicious and filling Thanksgiving dinners. Thanks, BTL Brothers, for a job well done! 

We closed out last year with a bang at our fourth annual New Year’s Eve GALA. A good time was had by all who attended. Brother James M. Schooler Sr. Scholarship Fund was enriched. Our aim of “Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love for all Mankind” is alive as we continue to do great things the Durham community. We look forward to greater achievements in 2012. The old has passed away and behold, all things are new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Fraternally yours,
Brother Baldwin Gammage

 

Last Updated on Sunday, 08 January 2012 19:59
 
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