In 1992, ZTA adopted The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation as its national philanthropy. Later, the Fraternity broadened its focus to encompass not only the Komen Foundation, but also other educational means dedicated to fighting breast cancer through education, awareness and promoting breast health. Furthermore, each alumnae and collegiate chapter generally volunteers with one or more local philanthropy of its choosing in addition to their support of the Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation and ZTA's national philanthropy. Today, our National Philanthropy is Breast Cancer Awareness and Education.
Service is an integral part of being an Aggie Zeta. Whether it's through Texas A&M or Theta Gamma chapter, we are always trying our best to serve others. On the A&M campus, we have participated in events such as Replant, where Aggies annually replant trees to beautify our campus. Theta Gammas are always in attendance for A&M's Big Event, the largest student-run service project in the nation. Big Event consists of one work day per year, where citizens in the Bryan/College Station area have Students and Faculty from A&M help repair, build, paint, or service their home in any way needed. This year Zeta was the largest group who participated in Big Event!
Theta Gamma has been recognized as having the best philanthropy event on campus, which is our annual bowling tournament, "Strike-A-Thon." This year we raised over $50,000, needless to say it was a huge success. As a result of our monumental fundraising achievements, Theta Gamma received the national Founder's Club Award for donating such a large amount to the Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation. The fun and games (literally) have become so popular that we had to hold numerous sessions of the tournament this year. Participants receive a t-shirt as well as door prizes, and prizes for the highest scores. We take pride in this event due to its purpose, "striking out breast cancer!" Theta Gamma is proud to contribute so greatly to such a noble cause.
Special to Theta Gamma chapter is the annual "Halloween on Sorority Row", where all houses on Athens provide games, candy, and fun for local trick-or-treaters. Zeta hosts this event, which is a success throughout the community! Its purpose is to provide a safe and entertaining environment for all children. All Zetas don Halloween costumes and pass out candy. This event has been a constant success for the Theta Gammas as well as the Bryan/College Station community.
ZTA began an association with Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 1992 when it became the first national sponsor of the Race for the Cure's National Series Breast Cancer Survivor Recognition Program. Since that year, ZTA has continually served as a national sponsor of the Survivor Recognition Program. In the early 1990s, ZTA co-sponsored this program for three years with Kellogg. In 2002, RE/MAX replaced Kellogg as ZTA's co-sponsor. ZTA provides the signature pink T-shirts and caps for participants to wear during the race. As part of the Survivor Program, ZTA also provides pink "In Memory Of" and "In Celebration Of" back signs for participants to wear during the Race for the Cure events so they may race in honor of a friend or loved one. The ZTA Foundation also provides an educational item for each Race participant. On behalf of ZTA, the Foundation has donated more than $2 million to Komen for the Cure since 1992. Additionally, more than 5,000 Zetas volunteer in excess of 50,000 hours each year to support the more than 100 Race events nationwide.