The Madison Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is getting ready to raise money for scholarships as it hosts its 27th Annual Heart and Soul Scholarship Fundraiser. The annual event will take place virtually this year on Saturday, Feb. 12, 7-9 p.m.
The event will feature performances by Grammy-nominated artist Deborah Cox and the proceeds will benefit educational programs and college scholarships for aspiring youth in the greater Madison area. Ronnicia Johnson-Walker, a longtime member of the chapter and the chair of the Heart & Soul Scholarship Fundraiser planning committee, is looking forward to raising funds to support Black youth in Madison to help start them on their educational journeys after high school.
“The scholarship exists due to the need of supporting our African American students in Dane County with their post-secondary journeys,” Johnson-Walker tells Madison365. “This is our 27th year doing this and we’ve been able to give out several fellowships and awards. The awards every year continue to get bigger, and we’re able to support more students from Dane County.”
Johnson-Walker says that the Deltas were able to give away $15,000 worth of scholarship awards to six different students last year.
“Our largest award is our Visionary Award winner, which was a $4,000 scholarship,” she says. “This is our largest fundraiser that we have within the chapter. This is also our education-focused fundraiser. We try to keep the cost low but ensure that we can have a number of people represented in Dane County to come out and support. All proceeds that we have from Heart and Soul do go directly back into the community via those scholarships that we give out every year.”
Since it was chartered in 1977, the Madison Alumnae Chapter has given over $270,000 in academic scholarships to graduating seniors from Madison-area high schools. Johnson-Walker talked about the significance of this event and the benefits of Heart and Soul being virtual.
“We’re definitely looking forward to Deborah Cox performing,” said Johnson Walker. “Last year, we had [singer/songwriter] Eric Benét. I’m really looking forward to seeing just who is able to tune in. Being in the midst of the pandemic and being virtual, we are afforded the benefit of being able to reach a larger audience.
“It’s not just strictly a Midwest thing or Wisconsin thing. [Last year,] we had people joining us from New York, California, and Texas. We had a soror over in Ghana at that time, who I believe tuned in. So this event will be something that is not just national but international as well,” she adds. “Really just interested to see what kind of audience we’re able to collect this year and where people will be tuning in from.”
All ticket holders are automatically entered into the Where the Money REDsides Give-A-Way, which includes many gift card prizes. Johnson-Walker mentioned that there is a flash sale taking place on ticket prices for the event. There are also opportunities for sponsorship and the Madison Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. website has more information about donations.
“We are currently having a flash sale,” said Johnson Walker. “Our tickets for general mission were $15, they’re now $7. Our VIP boxes which include a ticket, as well, that were $40 are $35. You can either support by purchasing a ticket and attending. You can also become a sponsor for the event, we have a number of sponsorship opportunities. You can find out more about those by emailing [email protected]. No donation is too small.”
To purchase tickets to the 27th Annual Heart and Soul Scholarship Fundraiser or make donations, click here.
