From Tragedy to Triumph

In March of 1987, a tragic accident occurred at the University of Mississippi while Chi Omega. Sorority was participating in a walk-a-thon. Five Chi Omegas were killed. Two of these young women were from Tupelo -Margaret Gardner and Robin Simmons.

To honor the memory of Margaret and Robin, the Gardner-Simmons Home began as a vision in 1987 when a mission group with First United Methodist Church identified the need for a Home for abused and neglected teenage girls in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Gardner-Simmons Home is a well respected and trusted non-profit who has gained a good reputation by being fiscally responsible yet assertive enough to champion new ground on behalf of abused children.

“Right now, they just house 3 girls in their home. The girls meet with social workers and foster families to see if they mesh well. Gardner-Simmons’ goal is to get the girls into real homes as soon as possible and give them a family environment. All the girls are in school and have specific chores that they do every week,” said Alise Darnell, President of Chi Omega.

Gardner-Simmons strives to meet the physical, emotional, educational and spiritual needs of these children to enable them to become self-sufficient, productive citizens through three programs:

1. The Group Home Program houses ten teenage girls ages 12-21 who are in the custody of Mississippi Department of Human Services.

2. The Independent Living Program provides continued support for our former group home residents who have completed high school or the GED program.

3. The Foster Home Program recruits, licenses, and trains families to care for foster children in their homes.

The Tau Chapter of Chi Omega is very active Gardner-Simmons Home for Girls. Chi Omega’s donations are the main source of funds for the Gardner-Simmons Home.

Last year, Chi Omega raised $37,000. The biggest source of money comes in from letters sent out to alumni. The other way Chi Omega raises money is having each sorority member sell $80 worth of tickets for their annual fundraiser event.

The Tau chapter hosts a crawfish boil on our back porch and an Owls at the Alley bowling tournament to raise money for the Gardner-Simmons Home for Girls.

“Chi Omega believes in community service. We want to make a difference on our campuses and in our communities. We know that giving back to others unselfishly makes the world a better place and makes us better people. Serving and giving helps to connect us,” said Hannah Grogan, former 2010 Philanthropy Chairman.

The ladies of Chi Omega are very involved with the girls of Gardner-Simmons. A group goes over during the semester to play for dinners, movie nights, and a volleyball game or two.

“Girls living in Gardner Simmons don’t stay there for long periods of time. Relationship building is hard because they aren’t living there for the whole year. So a lot of times its different girls, but still beneficial for both sides,” said Elizabeth Stevens, current Philanthropy Chairman.

Last week, Darnell went to the Home ad presented the girls with a $500 check that the girls received from the spokesperson, Marion Jordan, for having the most girls at her Girls Night Out event. The check was received with open arms.