By: Johannah Bay, Kappa Delta Foundation Programs Coordinator

Kappa Delta volunteers are our foundation. They give their time, energy and expertise to keep Kappa Delta moving forward, and our organization would not be the same without them. Every month on the Emerald Edit, we’ll highlight one of our many incredible volunteers to showcase the impact they have on our members. 

Since 2023, Kim Bittner (Omega Xi-Cincinnati) has served on the Kappa Delta Foundation’s Alumnae Crisis Grant Review Committee. This important program supports Kappa Delta alumnae by providing immediate financial assistance through grants to sisters experiencing significant hardship. 

The committee, made up of five volunteers and chaired by Kappa Delta Foundation Board Director Tove Thomas, works year-round reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Since 2023, the program has awarded more than $50,000 to sisters in need — support that would not be possible without dedicated volunteers like Kim. 

In addition to serving on the Alumnae Crisis Grant committee, Kim has also volunteered on foundation scholarship review committees, helping evaluate applications from graduate and undergraduate members seeking one of the more than 300 scholarships awarded by the KD Foundation each year. 

In recognition of her service to both the foundation and Omega Xi Chapter, Kim received the Order of the Emerald in 2017, an honor awarded to alumnae who demonstrate extraordinary service to Kappa Delta at the local, state or national level. 

We recently had the opportunity to talk with Kim about her volunteer experience and what serving on the Alumnae Crisis Grant Review Committee has meant to her. 

What inspired you to volunteer for the Kappa Delta Foundation? My 35+ years of service had always been at the local level. Being given the chance to serve on national committees created opportunities to interact with KDs in a much broader way. 

What do you get out of your time volunteering? For me, volunteering for the foundation has provided another perspective on KD. It has given me the chance to interact with a wider cross-section of our sisterhood and experience the warmth that comes with offering a piece of myself to women I may never meet, but whom I promised I would be there for when I took my oath of membership. 

Tell us about a memorable moment you’ve had while volunteering. It is exciting to see the name of someone whose scholarship application I reviewed announced as a recipient. It is even more rewarding and humbling to be a part of helping a sister during a time of crisis. 

What advice do you have for other Kappa Deltas who are interested in volunteering? Do it! You won’t regret the time invested. It’s such a simple way to live up to our desire to be truer, wiser, more faithful, more loving and more noble. 

Interested in volunteering with KD?  

There are so many opportunities to share your time and talent. From working with a local collegiate chapter on a chapter advisory board or house corporation board to serving on a foundation committee like the scholarship review committee, we are grateful for the thousands of alumnae who give back to KD. Join us!    

Visit kappadelta.org/volunteer to browse opportunities and learn about next steps.    

 Know a sister who should be a featured volunteer?  

Email kdnews@kappadelta.orgcreate new email to share!