Service project lands KDPhi $2,000 grant

Girl Scout cookies, badges and green vests have no place in the fast-paced lifestyles of most University students. To the Asian-American sorority Kappa Delta Phi, however, such symbols are treasured reminders of their longstanding involvement with a local girls club -- an involvement that was recently recognized with a $2,000 grant from the Trustees' Council of Penn Women. The sorority received the grant because its program "demonstrated the most need and reached the broadest group of people," according to Allison Cannady, the council's administrative director. KDPhi will use the grant to expand its program offerings with the West Philadelphia Girls Club, KDPhi President Wharton and Junior Kosin Huang said. In the past, the scope of the project was somewhat limited due to a lack of funds. As part of the program -- which has been in existence for two and a half years --EKDPhi members hold workshops at the club pertaining to issues young girls face, such as racial tension and peer pressure, for Cambodian girls ranging in age from eight to 15. The club is located in the Intercultural Family Services center at 40th and Chestnut streets. Supervised by Intercultural Family Services social workers, each member builds a consistent relationship with the girls throughout the year. "As opposed to a one-day community service, this is a very steady project that's been going on for the last two and a half years," Huang said. "This consistency, of course, increases the results you get. The KDPhi volunteers develop close personal relationships with the girls, and the personal attention each girl receives from the KDPhi members is crucial to the success of the program, according to Ma Ki, the Girl Scouts coordinator at the Intercultural Family Services center. "KDPhi members give one-on-one attention and provide activities for each girl every Friday," Ki said. "Many of the Asian-American teenagers are at risk in joining gangs without a good role model. The KDPhi members teach the children self-respect and self-identity." College senior Shweta Parmar -- the sorority's former community service coordinator -- explained that for KDPhi, the project is geared toward breaking down the artificial boundaries between the intellectual and social realms at the University. For the Girls Club, it is a preventative measure for those students who find themselves at risk in school, at home and on the streets. The Cambodian community is mostly unseen in the predominantly African-American neighborhood. Especially for girls, growing up in an impoverished setting, amidst the racial tensions between the Asian- and African-American groups is tough, Huang said. "It's encouraging to have a hand in their upbringing," she said.