Philadelphia – At a press conference on Friday July 20th in the Philadelphia Mayor’s Reception Room of City Hall national, regional and local representatives and members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. announced that their Eighty-fourth Grand Chapter Meeting is coming to Philadelphia in 2019.
Philadelphia Director of Commerce Harold Epps, a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., officially welcomed the fraternity to Philadelphia and presented the Grand Polemarch (president) Thomas L. Battles Jr., local leaders and Grand Chapter Meeting planners’ replicas of the Philadelphia Liberty Bell and thanked the fraternity for selecting Philadelphia. He shared his background, the influence several Kappa men had on his life and career and how both Kappas and Omegas share the same spirit of brotherhood and community service.
Philadelphia City Councilwomen Blondell Reynolds Brown and Cherelle L. Parker both members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Pennsylvania State Representative Stephen Kinsey and Pennsylvania State Senator Sharif Street both members of Kappa Alpha Psi welcomed the Kappas to Philadelphia, shared some history of the fraternity, its relevance and influence in the Philadelphia region and presented the national and local leadership with citations and resolutions.
Julie Cooker Graham the CEO of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau also thanked the Kappas for choosing Philadelphia as the location of their next Grand Chapter Meeting. She reiterated what Harold Epps stated about the economic impact on the region this event will have. This event will bring an estimated ten thousand delegates, members and their families to Philadelphia July 30 through August 4, 2019 pumping millions of dollars into the economy from transportation, hotels accommodations, meals, to local retail businesses and activities. The biennial event features meetings, seminars, training sessions, workshops, concerts and activities that highlight the vision and good work the fraternity does around the world.
Almost three years ago, the Philadelphia Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc created a committee chaired by entrepreneur Sam Patterson with the specific goal of bringing a Grand Chapter Meeting back to Philadelphia. Philadelphia last hosted a conclave in 1995. The local committee and regional leadership under the tutelage of Province Polemarch (regional president) Craig C. Chisholm collaborated with the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau to make a presentation to the Grand Board of Directors. They hosted visits by the Grand Board who toured the city, met with civic, elected officials and fraternity leaders who promoted the benefits of coming to Philadelphia. The Grand Board selected Philadelphia for the site of their 2019 Grand Chapter Meeting in 2017.
In addition to conducting the fraternity’s business and providing an opportunity for members and their families to fellowship, the fraternity also makes a conscious decision to have a positive impact on the city and region that hosts the Grand Chapter meeting. Philadelphia Alumni Chapter Polemarch L. Douglas Harrell shared the selected organization the 2019 Grand Chapter Meeting will benefit. “The impact we hope to have is to give back to the school district of Philadelphia. One of the things we do when we come to a city is make a significant contribution back to the community we have the conclave in. This conclave coming up we targeted the Philadelphia School District. I’ve spoken to the superintendent William Hite who is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi he couldn’t be here today because he is out of town; we will be making a significant impact on the educational forums that go on in Philadelphia.”
Polemarch Harrell is committed to increasing the profile and presence of Kappas in the region, getting more members involved in the community service and empowerment initiatives of the fraternity and making the larger community aware of what the fraternity does. He is calling all Kappas in the area who are not engaged to become involved, get reenergized and become a part of the planning and programs that benefit the community. “Brothers can contact me through PhillyKappas.com, E-mail me directly or call me at (215) 307-9327.
Social Media