Z-HOPE – Zetas Helping Other People Excel is the national service arm of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. Tau Xi Zeta chapter participates in multiple Z-HOPE initiatives throughout the year, including programming for Breast Cancer Awareness, National Voter Registration, Mental Health Awareness, and more.  We also seek to identify social awareness programming that is specifically vital to our service area.

We welcome opportunities to partner and serve among other similarly focused organizations.  Please contact us!

Tau Xi Zeta – The Finer Women of Forest Park hosts and participates in a number of events and activities in support of the education of our community’s youth, events focused on overall health & wellness and events focused on our engagement with the community in which we serve.

Educational Support

Finer Womanhood Night: A partnership with the Forest Park Library for local teens to learn valuable life lessons from prominent women of Forest Park, IL and its surrounding communities.  The teens traditionally discuss conflict resolution, friendship, and other topics that surface in their daily lives.

NBC Back to School Drive and Sarah’s Inn Oak Park:  A partnership with NBC News Channel 5 – Chicago and Sarah’s Inn Oak Park (IL) for the provision of book bags and school supplies for children. Sarah’s Inn is a non-profit, social services and domestic violence agency with a mission to “improve the lives of those affected by domestic violence and to break the cycle of violence for future generations”. (sarahsinn.org)

TXZ’s Blue Renaissance College Fair: An annual event where students meet with college representatives to seek advice regarding college plans and courses of study, to discuss admission requirements and financial aid options, and to seek insight regarding life as a college student.

Scholarship Workshop at Forest Park Library: A workshop in partnership with the Forest Park Library conducted to teach local students to apply for scholarships. This workshop includes sessions focused on how to write essays for college applications. The workshop also focuses on the explanations of the impact and benefits of internships and extracurricular activities throughout one’s high school and/or college career.

Health and Wellness Programming

MLK Day w/ IL State Rep LaShawn K. Ford (D) “Stronger Together” Family Health Challenge: An annual partnership collaborated with IL State Representative LaShawn K. Ford (D) – member of our brother organization, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated.  All ages participate in a day of fun and fabulous activities centered around helping the community stay focused on physical, mental and financial health. The day consists of financial literacy sessions for adults, young adults/high schoolers and young children. There are also workshops focused on nutrition and the importance of physical activity. Local businesses, such as the Oak Park Police Department, have been known to participate and are invited to speak with our guests about mind/body wellness. 

TXZ Finer Fitness: An ongoing commitment where Tau Xi Zeta members focus on our overall health and wellness by participating in a number of activities designed to engage and encourage one another along our continuous paths to living active and healthy lifestyles. This includes activities such as our very first ever virtual/online socials held during the summer months of 2020 amidst the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic. On June 27th, TXZ facilitated a Virtual Finer Fitness Workshop with host, Soror Anita Thomas-Gasekew. Soror Thomas-Gaskew encouraged participants to not only attend the event, but to also incorporate small lifestyle changes to adjust to the “new normal” we’ve all faced with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Community Engagement and Support

Elder Care Initiative with Symphony Nursing Home : A partnership with Symphony of Chicago West in support of our organization’s national “comprehensive program that also focuses on elder abuse awareness, financial peace, supporting the caregiver and volunteering at senior care facilities,” (zphib1920.org). On an ongoing basis, Tau Xi Zeta chapter collaborates with Symphony under our Adopt-An-Adult Day Healthcare Center Program for Z-HOPE. The chapter hosts a fun day of BINGO for residents, donates supplies/toiletries, and even catered meals in honor of our sisterhood’s “Global Day of Service” and in celebration of Juneteenth! In 2020, the residents and staff of Symphony of West Chicago were greatly affected by the spread of COVID-19. Symphony, along with many other nursing homes, were required to follow new regulations in efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 under the direction of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Residents were isolated to their rooms and floors to avoid the spread of the virus, which made it challenging for the staff to continue scheduled programs and activities – including our standing Elder Care Service Initiative of hosting Bingo for our friends at Symphony. Throughout the months of May and June, in lieu of our scheduled event, our chapter collected monetary donations and supplies. Some of those items collected and delivered directly to the facility included: coloring books, colored pencils, painting canvas panels, acrylic paint, paint brushes, paint tray palettes, and plenty of hand sanitizer. 

St. Steven’s Soup Kitchen at African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church; collaboration with TPZ on Thanksgiving Eve #OneZeta: The ladies of Tau Xi Zeta Chapter were invited by a fellow chapter of our international organization – the ladies of Tau Psi Zeta Chapter – to participate in a service project to feed the homeless on Thanksgiving Eve. As part of our organization’s efforts of working alongside members across the globe, both chapters collaborated with members of St. Stephen African Methodist Episcopal Church to serve Thanksgiving meals to the homeless community.   

Fisher House Veteran’s Breakfast: An annual initiative hosted by Tau Xi Zeta chapter of which we host a breakfast at Fisher House for the families and loved ones of service members receiving care at Hines VA Hospital of Hines, IL. Fisher House is a temporary residential facility that provides the comforts of home for those whose loved ones are experiencing extended or even terminal care at the hospital.  In addition to breakfast, chapter members also collect and donate toiletries for the veterans and families.