Having fun while doing good could be the motto of the Greenville chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
On Saturday night, the group serving Kappa Alpha Psi alumni from Leflore, Washington, Sunflower and Bolivar counties will hold its fourth annual Bill “Hut” Williams Scholarship Gala at The Historic Elks Building in downtown Greenwood.
“Last year we had over 150 people attend from all over the Delta, and this year we’re expecting more,” said fraternity member Monroe Golden of Greenwood.
The black-tie affair with a live band, an open bar and a catered meal is open to anyone who wants to attend at $30 per ticket. A few seats remain to be sold.
Mixing fun with serious work is the hallmark of the fraternity’s involvement in the Guide Right national service program to mentor and educate youth in the community. Alumni members in Leflore County principally work with students at Leflore County High School in Itta Bena.
The gala event is a fundraiser for scholarships to participants in the Guide Right program, including several from Leflore.
All ticket sales, proceeds from an ad booklet and various fundraisers throughout the year go to the scholarship fund.
The evening’s festivities are held in honor of 50-year Leflore County School District coach and educator Bill “Hut” Williams, a star quarterback in his youth who became one of the first faculty members and coaches at Amanda Elzy High School.
Williams went on to teach in Leflore County for 50 years and is an inductee of the Jackson State University Centennial Football Team Hall of Fame.
Delivering the keynote address will be Greenwood native and Kappa Alpha Psi alumnus Michael Jerome Gee, a teacher and teaching coach in Memphis who specializes in changing the culture and climate at troubled schools.
In his spare time, Gee is a member of the Memphis Grizzlies Grannies and Grandpas dance team, which performs during Grizzlies home games.
Four Mississippi Delta health care professionals will receive special recognition during the evening’s program, including OB/GYN physician and sexual health expert Dr. Lakeisha Richardson of Washington County; nurse practitioner Kajuandra Chandler, who operates Indianola Wellness Clinic, LLC; Cleveland Medical Clinic physician Dr. DeGail J. Hadley; and James Trimble, a Kappa Alpha Psi alum and physical therapist in Leflore County.
The Greenville Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi arose in the 1950s from chapters at Alcorn State University, Tougaloo College and Jackson State University whose men returned to the Mississippi Delta to serve their communities.
•Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
