Chapter Philanthropy and Service

Western Fairfax ZTA is committed to serving the needs of those in our immediate community as well as the greater DC area. Our involvement with breast cancer awareness includes:

• Assembling and distributing pink ribbons prior to the NFL Crucial Catch game with the Washington Redskins,
• Distributing pink ribbons at a local sports restaurant during this same game,
• Supporting the ZTA Foundation, and
• Supporting local breast cancer awareness organizations including past support for Amy's Army and Tigerlily Foundation. 

We have four on-going service projects that we support throughout the year and one new collection project for this year. We encourage you to collect any of these items and bring them to the next chapter event:

• New/Gentle Used Bra Collection **New Project** - Do you have some new/gently worn bras sitting around in your dresser taking space? We'll take them and donate them to a charity that will send the donations to women and girls in homeless and domestic violence shelters, breast cancer support groups, refugee settlement homes, homes for pregnant teens and more.
• Plastic Bag Collection - Plastic grocery bag collection for Western Fairfax Christian Ministries food pantry. The food pantry uses these bags for their patrons.
• The Crayon Initiative - Used/broken crayon collection for The Crayon Initiative who collects donated crayons from restaurants, schools and homes across the country, then melts them down and remanufactures them, reducing waste as crayons do not biodegrade. The recycled crayons are distributed to art programs at children’s hospitals across the U.S., including Inova Fairfax Children's Hospital, brightening the lives of young patients during their stay. 
• Recycled Greeting Cards - Greeting card collection (any occasion) to support St. Jude's Ranch for Children. This organization has spent 50 year history of caring for abused, abandoned and neglected children in Nevada. They recycle the card fronts to make new cards, which are sold to support their mission. Please no Hallmark or American Greeting brand cards.
• Pop Tab Collection - Aluminum can pop tab collection to support the Ronald McDonald House in Fairfax. The Ronald McDonald House recycles these pop tabs and earns money to support their mission.

We have also support numerous other local charities/organizations over the years including:

• Toys for Tots,
• Anti-nausea candy bags for chemotherapy patients. 
• Fairfax County's Hypothermia Program for the homeless,
• Thank you cards to our service men and women over seas,
• Child Help,
• Veterans Moving Forward,
• Parkinson Social Network,
• Honor Flight,
• Loudoun Mobile Hope Van
• Northern Virginia Alumnae Panhellenic Association,
• Dress for Success,
• Other regional animal shelters,
• Homestretch,
• Local Girl Scout Troops,
• K9s for Warriors,
• Food for Others,
• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, and
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

In addition to the hundreds of hours each year that Western Fairfax sisters log supporting a variety of philanthropic endeavors. We also take seriously the needs of our own members supporting them in their times of need with everything they need from moral support to warm meals while recovering from surgery.

Our efforts to put service first in everything we do earned us the Alumnae Service Award silver platter at International Convention 2014 and 2016!