top of page

Following in the footsteps of the 22 founders of the sorority, eleven Deltas from the Lake Charles
area met in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Noah (Rosa B.) Lewis, the Sister and brother-in-law of Charter
member Mae Ruth Haggar Johnson and applied for a charter. Under the auspices of the Southwest
Regional Director Aster Lee Henderson, they were granted the charter on January 29, 1955, and were
called Epsilon Eta Sigma Chapter. In 1958, the name Epsilon Eta Sigma Chapter was changed to Lake
Charles Alumnae Chapter following National protocol. The chapter’s first disbursements were those to
support the legal war against racial discrimination being waged by the NAACP and entertainment for
servicemen of the Korean Conflict at the USO Center. The Delsprites Club (still in existence today) was
soon formed to help provide cultural, public service, and social exposure to young black high school girls.
An annual fundraising activity, the Jabberwock became a means to raise funds for public service projects.


In keeping with Delta’s Five Point Program Thrust , the chapter has been directly involved in
awarding college scholarships, voter registration drives, health fairs, aiding and entertaining the elderly,
providing workshops on HIV/Aids Awareness, Breast Cancer, Teen Pregnancy, and other health initiatives;
it has partnered with the Big Brothers-Big Sisters, NAACP, YMCA, Special Olympics, The American
Cancer Society, Crippled Children’s Campaign, Sickle Cell Anemia, American Red Cross, and the
American Heart Association. and provided assistance to needy families. The chapter has sponsored the
Annual “Walk For Shelter” and funds were used to build homes for the Habitat for Humanity” Program and
currently volunteers at its Restore House. The chapter participated in donation of funding, time and service
in erecting a house. This home in Lake Charles is designated as the “House that Delta Built”.


For many years, the chapter was able to provide scholarships thru its United Negro College Fund
Gala. A later addition to the sorority’s scholarships was the annual beautillion at which male high school
seniors and entering college freshmen participated in informational workshops in the areas of etiquette,
finance, scholarship prep, college prep, community service and make their debut to society in conjunction
with the national initiative “Summit III: Preparing Our Sons for Manhood.” The Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta
Academy allows middle school girls to be mentored in the areas of math, science, engineering and
technology with the hopes of choosing careers oriented in those areas and continuing into the GEMS
(Growing Empowering Myself Successfully) a program which is designed for High School Girls. Adding
to our youth initiatives for males is the EMBODI (Empowering Males to Build Opportunities for

Developing Independence) program. This program is for young males age 11-18. We have sponsored
several nationwide tours of Historically Black College and Universities with several participants securing
scholarships to those schools.


Lake Charles Alumnae has received regional, state and 5-star recognition for its various initiatives, notably
its M.O.T.H.E.R.S program which assisted in identifying women without health insurance and ensuring
that they were able to get annual mammograms at a reduced rate which was paid by the chapter. The
chapter has also donated Christmas gifts to children who families have been impacted by the HIV-AIDS
crisis. Funds were provided to build a well in areas in Africa where clean water was inaccessible. Also,
the chapter has received numerous awards for its commitment to the Lake Area Community and notably
from the SWLA Black Heritage Festival for Delta’s workshops, fun/informational booths for youth and
overall participation.

In keeping with the national initiatives, we have the Healthy Lifestyle initiative, TOTAL WOMAN:
MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT, which makes us aware of our physical health status (with screenings and
information) and encouragement to eat and monitor our health realizing we must be healthy to continue our
public service duties. In Arts and Letters, we have sponsored Red Carpet Events at the local movie theaters
in promotion of Black Actors, Directors, and Black Historical Movies. We have even sold out the tickets
for movie showings. Also, we have sponsored the Arts & Letter Scholarship Brunch where noteworthy
Contributors to the Lake Charles Arts community were honored. The Financial Fortitude Initiative has
allowed our members to understand the power of our assets and how best to use our funds to grow us
economically and not to just be consumers, but plan also for successful retirements.


Delta continues it frontrunner status in Political Awareness and is known for its leadership in
providing information thru forums of the candidates’ agenda for local government positions.
In its 64 years of existence, the Lake Charles Alumnae has had 25 members to accept the call to
leadership and continues to carry the torch of service in the Lake Area and surrounding communities.

our 

CHAPTER

DSTLOGO.png
bottom of page