Z-HOPE Community Initiatives

The 2025 Great Lakes Region Z-HOPE TM Community Initiative offers an opportunity to lean into the Extraordinary Power of S.H.E. by supporting three very deserving Indianapolis agencies in their efforts to combat inequities around social, health and economic justice in the Indianapolis, Indiana area. Whether Chapters, Auxiliaries, and individuals decide to donate to one or to donate to all, this year, conference attendees can choose! Item donations will only be accepted during the conference.

Christamore House aims to provide top-quality educational services for children and youth, senior programs,
and life skills training to Haughville residents in Indianapolis. Their offerings include the Becky Schenck Early Childhood Education Center for ages 3-5, after-school programs, PREP for college planning assistance, and services for families and seniors. Their values emphasize empowerment by teaching skills and fostering self-reliance, encouraging those who succeed to give back by supporting and mentoring others. They embrace education by bringing together people of all ages to achieve academic excellence. They highlight the importance of responsibility, showing individuals that they have the power to generate positive changes and
stop crime. Community pride is fostered through respect and being good citizens and neighbors, creating a proud community. They value teamwork by partnering with others to enhance their mission, and accountability through transparency, clear communication, and integrity to accomplish their goals.

Their Mission: The Christamore House provides the very best child and youth educational services, senior programming and life skills training to the residents of Haughville and the Near-Westside.

Their Vision: The Christamore House, through education, partnerships and accountability empowers the
people of Haughville and the near Westside to be self-sufficient and contributing members to a safe and
healthy community.

Source: Christamore House

Project Implementation:
Project Focus: Social Justice. Population: Youth. This opportunity will allow chapters, auxiliaries and individuals to make item donations that will be used to support Christamore Houses’ mission. Individuals and Chapters/Auxiliaries are asked to donate items from the Christamore House wish list. You are asked to bring your donation to the Great Lakes Region Leadership Conference. Donations will be accepted in-person from Friday, May 15th – Saturday, May 17th at designated times that will be shared later. There will not be an opportunity to ship donations before or after the Regional Conference. Please note that individuals who donate will not report that donation in the Zeta Service Management System (ZSMS), only Chapters/Auxiliaries will do so.

Wishlist items include: Disinfectant Wipes, Hand Sanitizer, Kleenex, Diapers (all sizes) and Pull Ups, Baby Wipes, Pacifiers, Bottles, Bottle Brushes, Onesies, Booties, Mittens, Training Pants.

For 25 years, Second Helpings has accepted donated perishable and overstocked food to prepare nutritious meals for thousands of hungry children and adults every day and distributes them free of charge through local social service agencies in central Indiana. Second Helpings also trains unemployed and underemployed adults
for meaningful careers in the culinary industry.

Their Vision: We envision a community where everyone has enough nourishing food and ample opportunities
to thrive.

Their Mission: We address hunger today and build self-sufficiency to prevent hunger tomorrow.

Second Helpings is a community kitchen that prepares and delivers more than 1 million meals to the central Indiana community each year. They are not just teaching people to cook. They are providing an avenue for
people to transform their own lives. They don’t just collect food. They rescue food, because they refuse to stand
by and allow waste, while so many in their community does not have the healthy food they need to thrive.

Source: Second Helpings

Project Implementation:

Project Focus: Health Justice. Population: Youth, Men, Women & Seniors. This opportunity will allow chapters, auxiliaries and individuals to make item donations that will be used to support Second Hands’ hunger relief efforts in Central Indiana communities. Individuals and Chapters/Auxiliaries are asked to donate wish list items. You are asked to bring your donation to the Great Lakes Region Leadership Conference. Donations will be accepted in-person from Friday, May 16th – Saturday, May 17th at designated times that will be shared at a later date. There will not be an opportunity to ship donations before or after the Regional Conference. Please note that individuals who donate will not report that donation in the Zeta Service Management System (ZSMS), only
Chapters/Auxiliaries will do so.

Wish list items include: Peanut Butter, Jelly, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Canola Oil, White Rice, Brown Rice.

Teachers’ Treasures was founded in 2000 by a retired school principal, Phyllis Imel, who wished to continue helping the at-risk children in the community succeed in school. The “free store for teachers” opened in a small unused area in the basement of Washington Community
School.

Their Mission: Teachers’ Treasures works to ensure teachers, educators, and students have access to free, vital resources for classroom success.

Their Vision: Educators and students receive the necessary resources to foster quality education, close opportunity gaps, and build stronger communities.
The Need: Every day at public, charter, and parochial schools located throughout Marion County, children of all ages attend class without the most basic supplies they need to get a good education. Dedicated teachers are often willing to pay for these much-needed supplies out of their own pockets to make sure the kids in their classrooms have the necessary tools to learn. On average, teachers spend $800-$1200 a year on school
supplies for their students.

Their Answer – Teachers’ Treasures, in partnership with local businesses, charitable foundations, neighborhood organizations and individual contributors, helps fill this need by operating a volunteer-based “Store for Teachers.” Donated educational supplies and other materials are distributed via this unique conduit
to teachers for the benefit of their students. We serve teachers from any school (public, private, charter, or parochial) in Marion County and the immediate surrounding school districts with 60% or more of the student population on the free or reduced lunch programs.

Source: Teacher’s Treasure

Project Implementation:
Project Focus: Economic Justice. Population: Youth. This opportunity will allow chapters, auxiliaries and individuals to make item donations that will be used to support Teacher’s Treasures mission to provide teachers and students with free educational supplies. Individuals and Chapters/Auxiliaries are asked to donate books that will stock their Global Language Library. Teachers Treasures serves schools with youth that speak English as a second language so the impact of being able to provide youth with books written in their natural language is an inclusive way to serve the community. You are asked to bring your donations to the Great Lakes Region Leadership Conference. Donations will be accepted in-person from Friday, May 16th – Saturday, May 17th at designated times that will be shared later. There will not be an opportunity to ship donations before or after the Regional Conference. Please note that individuals who donate will not report that donation in the Zeta Service Management System (ZSMS), only Chapters/Auxiliaries will do so. 

Recommendations for book donations are below and can be found on Amazon.com.

Z-HOPE Monetary Donations

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated – 90th Great Lakes Region Leadership Conference Donation

For those individuals and Chapters/Auxiliaries who would like to make monetary donations instead of item donations, click the link above. For Chapters/Auxiliaries who chose this option, please make sure that your Tamias makes the donation from your Chapter/Auxiliary account, and you take a screenshot or picture of the receipt for reporting purposes.

Z-HOPE™ Reporting:

To submit your program to the Zeta Service Management System (ZSMS) linked <HERE>, select the following categories:

All Z-HOPE™ programs must be logged in to the Zeta Service Management System via the international website: https://zphib1920.org/programs-initiatives/z-hope/zsms/

Entries are due May 30, 2025 to earn Z-HOPE™ points based on the designated structure.

For Questions, please contact: Wanda D. Ramsey at glrzhopecoordinator26@gmail.com