Dr. Isabel Perry (Beta Phi-West Virginia) admits Kappa Delta hasn’t been a common thread through her adult life. However, after attending an alumnae reception last year at KD’s National Collegiate Training Academy, Isabel said something clicked. “All the fondness and warmth I had for KD when I was in college just bubbled up again,” she said. So much so, in fact, Isabel has created a gift to the Kappa Delta Foundation in her estate plans. “It’s never too late to make a legacy gift to Kappa Delta.”

Isabel fondly recalls one of her brothers encouraging her to join a sorority. “He had been in a fraternity and thought it would be good for me to have a sisterhood since I had grown up with four older brothers,” Isabel laughed. “We had a strong class with some talented ladies.”

One of the talented young women was Isabel herself. Between her junior and senior year at West Virginia University, she started her own construction company, which she ran for 13 years. Then, after taking night classes to earn her master’s and doctorate degrees in safety, she became VP of Safety, Environmental, Health and Security for a Fortune 50 corporation in the early 1990s.

In addition to her corporate job, Isabel had one of the first e-commerce businesses on the Internet in 1993, selling Chinese porcelain imported from China, and was also part owner of an ice cream factory in Quindao, China. “I worked hard to advance in my career, and I have always tried to help other women move up the corporate ladder — putting them front and center for key presentations, mentoring college interns and coaching them for that first job. Helping women be the best they can be is important to me.”

Isabel decided one more way she could help women was through a gift to the Kappa Delta Foundation. “I received one of the first Kappa Delta scholarships when I was in college,” Isabel recalled. “As I was making my estate plans, I realized it was my turn to give back to KD and help more bright young women achieve their dreams.”

Since the reception that inspired her gift, Isabel embarked on a new career — this time supporting sorority women. She currently serves as the house director for the Alpha Phi chapter at Michigan State University. “I am living the dream by living the sorority life twice in one lifetime!”

While she did not “plug in,” as she put it, to KD as an alumna earlier, Isabel is clearly plugged in now. “It’s not too late. You can still give back. Knowing my dedication to helping women will live beyond my lifetime — that’s a great feeling.”

Read more about planned giving hereopens PDF file ! Kappa Delta sisters who notify National Headquarters they have included Kappa Delta in their wills or other instruments of estate planning are honored by membership into the prestigious Dorothea Cavin Society