Kappa Upsilon Omega Chapter, Aiken, SC

Kappa Upsilon Omega Chapter, Aiken, SC, was chartered on April 13, 1976.  The Charter Members are Carolyn U. Blassengale, Leila May Bradby, Annie S. Dicks, Thelma Estes, Genelle E. Graham, Diane B. Grant, Bernice S. Green, Gloria Jones, Janie H. Key, Brenda H. Lloyd, Thelma S. Hallman, Vernell Tyler, Justine O. Hickson, Rosalie N. Johnson, and Wilhelmina S. Johnson.  These fifteen committed trailblazers bonded in sisterly love and affirmed to give “service to all mankind” in Aiken County.  The chartering ceremony for the Aiken Interest Group was an exciting and memorable event.  Thoughts of this time are reminisced often by charter members and shared with the current chapter members.   

The South Atlantic Region welcomed the new Kappa Upsilon Omega Chapter.  The fifteen charter members were proud and ecstatic to begin their work under the leadership of Soror Norma Solomon White, the 8^th South Atlantic Regional Director. The Charter members’ formative years helped to establish a group of committed and dedicated members.   The Ladies of Kappa Upsilon Omega are committed to our chapter and committed to showcasing our outstanding community leadership throughout Aiken and Edgefield Counties. 

Kappa Upsilon Omega Chapter’s membership has grown over the years, from 15 charter members in 1976, to 76 chapter members in 2008, peaking during the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Centennial Celebration.  Currently, Kappa Upsilon Omega Chapter’s membership is over 70+ members.  These members are dedicated to carrying on the traditions, ideas, and goals established by the founders.  Kappa Upsilon Omega Chapter sponsors and supports the Mu Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., at the University of South Carolina at Aiken.  We are also extremely proud to have one of our own, Velice R. Cummings, also serving as the Custer VI Coordinator for the South Atlantic Region.  

The members of Kappa Upsilon Omega Chapter have pooled their resources and talents for Forty- five years.  We have helped to improve social and economic conditions through community service programs in Aiken and Edgefield Counties. We have several Signature Programs; “Back Packs, Book Bags, and School Supplies” given annually to students in kindergarten through college, whose parents are incarcerated,  James Brown Turkey Give-Away at Thanksgiving, and Annual Scholarships for Seniors attending HBCUs.  We are now eagerly forging ahead with a focus on our International Programs under the theme “Exemplifying Excellence Through Sustainable Service.”  Our chapter co-hosted a reception for Soror Patricia Russell-McCloud, speaker for the February 2019 Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Celebration held at the University of SC at Aiken.

Through the vision of “the Fifteen Charter Members,” Carolyn U. Blassengale, Leila May Bradby, Annie S. Dicks, Thelma Estes, Genelle E. Graham, Diane B. Grant, Bernice S. Green, Gloria Jones, Janie H. Key, Brenda H. Lloyd, Thelma S. Hallman, Vernell Tyler, Justine O. Hickson, Rosalie N. Johnson, and Wilhelmina S. Johnson, we continue to be trailblazers in Aiken, SC and proud members of Kappa Upsilon Omega Chapter.