East St. Louis sorority honors late principal for her commitment to help children
The late LaRona J. Morris, who served as principal of Mason-Clark Middle School in East St. Louis, is remembered for her love of children and her community.
And members of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. are working to keep her memory alive.
Morris, who passed away in 2005, served as the 19th Grand Basileus, or international president, of Sigma Gamma Rho from 1996 to 2000.
In honor of the sorority’s 100th anniversary, the East St. Louis chapter of the sorority, Alpha Upsilon Sigma, on Monday hosted a rededication ceremony for the Dr. LaRona J. Morris Library at Mason-Clark Middle School.
“Dr. Morris loved her city of East St. Louis and she loved the sorority Sigma Gamma Rho and she loved her chapter,” said Katina Hardin, the Basileus, or leader, of the East St. Louis chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho
“She loved children and she wanted to impact children and she wanted her legacy to impact children.”
The sorority strives to help youths and the entire community in a variety of ways.
During her tenure as the international president, Morris was the originator of the sorority’s nationwide Youth Symposium, which is held annually on the second Saturday of March.
“We are honored to continue her thrust to empower youth in our communities through hands-on, interactive leadership activities centered on a relevant annual theme,” the sorority’s national website states.
The event is “designed to highlight some of the prevalent concerns that negatively impact” youths, including drugs, teen violence, abuse, low self-esteem, suicide, teen pregnancy and human trafficking, according the organization.
“We couldn’t think of a more fitting way to celebrate our centennial in East St. Louis, than to honor one of the greatest Sigma women that came from our City of Champions, and left a legacy so deep that it is duplicated nationwide not only by other chapters, but also by other organizations,” Hardin said in a statement.
Along with the Youth Symposium, the East St. Louis chapter of the sorority organizes a coat drive to help families at the CDBG Family Living Center on North 25th Street in East St. Louis. Two of the group’s other service projects include Soles for Little Souls, which provides shoes to children at the Family Living Center, and the sorority’s Project Cradle Care to help mothers and their babies.
Sigma Gamma Rho is part of the Divine 9 predominantly African-American Greek Letter sororities and fraternities. The sorority was founded in 1922 in Indianapolis, and the East St. Louis chapter was founded in 1941.
