Chi Rho Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha outlines local programs, asks Town of Wake Forest for partnership

Kimberly Allen Cox, president of the Chi Rho Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., presented the chapter’s community programs to the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners during the meeting.

Cox said the chapter serves Eastern Wake County — including Wake Forest, Knightdale, Rolesville, Wendell and Zebulon — and has more than 200 members. “For more than 20 years, Chi Rho Omega has proudly served Eastern North Carolina,” Cox said.

The chapter’s signature programs include a Childhood Hunger Initiative called Power Pack (CHIP), a Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) for middle-school students, and Pearls and Purpose, a leadership-development program for high-school students. Cox said the chapter delivered 1,074 power packs containing 8,592 nonperishable items during the 02/2025 school year, and that members logged more than 1,400 volunteer hours mentoring students last year.

Cox described mental-health work including a spring mental-health and wellness fair at Joyner Park and community training on suicide intervention. She also highlighted economic-support efforts: the chapter’s members “collectively invested over $85,000 in Black-owned businesses during the month of June,” she said, and the chapter’s foundation has awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships since 02/2004.

Cox said Chi Rho Omega partners with the Dorothy May Hall Women’s Center to provide goods and gift cards; she said the chapter provided 2,585 items and $2,371 in gift cards and cash this past year and helped the center secure a $10,000 grant from a local credit union.

Cox invited the town to “continue building with us through co-hosted events, educational programs, and strategic partnerships” and said the chapter will reach out to commissioners individually to discuss collaboration.

Mayor Vivian Jones and the board thanked the chapter for its presentation.