Alpha Kappa Alpha To Host Convention In St. Louis - July 9-16

April 28, 2010 - PRLog -- Contact: Melody McDowell
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ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA TO HOLD CONVENTION JULY 9-16 IN ST. LOUIS

Over 10,000 Members to Launch
Second Century of Sisterhood and Service

Chicago, Illinois – April 28, 2010 - Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority – America's first Greek-letter organization founded in 1908 by, and for, African-American college women and  one of the nation’s leading service organizations --  begins it second century of sisterhood and service when 10,000 members converge upon the St. Louis Convention Center in St. Louis, Missouri from July 9-16 for its first conference in its second centennial. International President Barbara A. McKinzie will preside over the weeklong event, whose theme is: “Second Time Around.”

A bevy of luminaries from various industries are expected to attend, participate and be honored at the conference.  Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, president of Liberia and a member of the Sorority is among the high-profile leaders who will attend.  She will receive the International Service Award, the Sorority’s most prestigious honor. The Sorority will also announce a major economic development initiative aimed at promoting global economic development for women.

Paralleling McKinzie’s focus on economics, the Sorority will host town hall forums on entrepreneurship, wealth building and homeownership --  the cornerstone of AKA’s ESP program, which stands for Economics Service and Partnerships.

The convention is being held in St. Louis, home of one of AKA’s founders, Ethel Hedgeman Lyle.  Several activities and commemorations will be held in her honor.

Other highlights of the convention include:

presentation of awards to two history-making notables:
•Sophia Stewart, who won a historic copyright infringement lawsuit against the producers of The Matrix;

•Ephren Taylor, CEO of City Capital Corporation, the youngest millionaire of a publicly-traded company;

•dedication of the  library at the Ethel Hedgeman Lyle Academy, an academic haven with an excellent scholastic record

•presentation of awards to local leaders whose good works and good deeds mirror AKA’s service mission.

The conference will also feature a public meeting on Sunday, July 11. The community is invited to attend this event.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Alpha Kappa Alpha boasts a nucleus of more than 250,000 women in over 975 chapters in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada, Germany, Korea, Japan and in the continent of Africa who are dedicated to service. Barbara A. McKinzie is the 27th International President. For more information, log on to www.aka1908.com.

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MELODY'service is a public relations/communications firm that also specializes in editing and writing in all formats including speechwriting and obituaries. Its president, Melody McDowell, also does special events.

Its clients include small businesses, corporations, events and non-profits. Among its clients are Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola, Jackson Park Hospital -- and more.

MELODY'service has provided public relations and writing services for conventions -- booking talk shows, generating positive press and raising the profile of the organization through news hits and valuable media exposure.

The firm edits Chicago's Minority Business