You likely know that the white rose is the official Kappa Delta flower, but did you know the Kappa Delta Foundation hosts a White Rose Garden each year at National Convention?

You bet! But what is the White Rose Garden? Is it a garden planted at the convention hotel? Not quite!

The White Rose Garden we know today is a Kappa Delta Foundation fundraising initiative in which sisters can send virtual roses to each other, while also providing financial support to KD so each Kappa Delta can become the best version of herself.

Join us as we revisit some of our favorite White Rose Garden memories from the last 38 years!

1985: The First White Rose Tree

Joan Quine Pate, Alpha Alpha-Michigan State, served as chair of the White Rose Tree committee.

In 1985, for the first time, convention attendees had the opportunity to honor special sisters with a donation to the Kappa Delta Foundation. For a small contribution, a paper rose was placed on a tree in the convention registration area and a rose sticker was given to the honoree to put on her convention name tag. More than $2,400 was raised in the inaugural year!

1999: New Rose Option Revealed

Minnie Mae Prescott and Diane LaFerney McDowell show off their rose stickers.

For the first time, the Kappa Delta Foundation offered more than one type of rose for convention attendees to purchase. $5 green and silver rose stickers and $25 gold rose stickers were offered with accompanying cards to be given to friends attending convention or mailed to sisters if they were not able to be present. Nearly $14,000 was raised this year!

2011: Welcome Paper Garlands

Hanging white rose garlands.

White rose stickers became paper rose garlands for the first time. The garlands hung from ceiling to floor throughout the grand foyer of Convention Hall to create a life-size “garden” display, showing the magnitude of sisters working together to make a difference. Nearly $29,000 was raised this year! 

2014: A Visit to the National Collegiate Training Academy

An NCTA attendee visits the White Rose Garden.

For the first time, the foundation brought the White Rose Garden to the National Collegiate Training Academy! To encourage donations and a little friendly competition, the foundation challenged the collegiate divisions to raise the most money through white rose purchases.

2017: The White Rose Garden Goes Digital

A virtual rose email

Although roses could be purchased online prior to this year, 2017 marks the beginning of the White Rose Garden website. The website featured a Sister Search feature, making it easier for donors to only make one purchase using one form, with their recipients notified automatically by email. More than $64,000 was raised this year!

Sandi Wysocki and Katie Pope at the White Rose Garden

2021: Supporting Scholarships

Roses sent in 2021 supported scholarships for KD sisters.

During the covid-19 pandemic, Kappa Delta pivoted and held the 64^th Biennial National Convention virtually. The Kappa Delta Foundation launched Imagine Her Future, a campaign to increase scholarship support for our sisters. That’s why, in 2021, rose purchases helped to increase scholarship support for Kappa Deltas.

More than $60,000 was raised by more than 1,000 donors who sent more than 5,500 virtual roses. What made this year extra special was the foundation board voted to create two endowed White Rose Garden scholarships which now produce an award each year forever!

2023: Coming Soon!

The White Rose Garden roses received a makeover with our updated KD visual brand.

Follow the KD Foundation on Facebook and Instagram, and keep an eye out for the chapter challenge. The chapter whose members purchase the most virtual roses wins, and the winning collegiate chapter will receive a $5,000 scholarship during the next biennium. Imagine…that could be your chapter!

Each rose you purchase will also support the Imagine Her Future scholarship campaign and help the foundation reach the $3.5 million goal, making more scholarships possible for KD sisters nationwide. So, it’s a win-win!

Join the sisterly competition. Send a rose to your big or little…or the whole family! Roses start at just $5.