Alpha Chi Omega Star Booth

Alpha Chi Omega Convention is coming up July 9-12 in Washington, D.C. This will be my 6th time attending and my 4th consecutive rooming with my CWRU travel-buddy and fellow Zeta Upsilon initiate Susan. We always have such a good time seeing old friends, making new friends, attending events, learning new things and in general getting excited about being Alpha Chi Omegas. I thought as we approach the event I'd share some of my favorite Convention traditions. And what better place to start than with the Star Booth!

Star Booth is a fundraiser for the Alpha Chi Omega Foundation, but more importantly it is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the sisters (and others) who are important in your life. At Convention, the Star Booth sits in a prominent spot (usually outside one of the main meeting rooms) and is staffed by a team of friendly volunteers. For each person you honor with your $10 contribution, you get a paper star on which to write the name of your recipient (and a note if you like). These stars are all hung on a big back drop in the back of the booth. (it's very impressive to see by the end of the weekend!) If your recipient is at Convention, you will receive a star sticker to give her to put on her name tag. If he or she is not present, Foundation will send them an email or a postcard letting them know you have recognized him or her.

Starting in 2006, I began placing my star order in advance (you can do this online this year!). When you do this, your recipient gets a card from you in her registration packet. She can go to the Star Booth to pick up her star for her name tag.

The items pictured here are all from 2006 Convention in Chicago. On the left are the cards I received from sisters who pre-ordered stars in my honor. In the center is my name tag with the stars I received. On the right are paper stars I received from sisters at a luncheon. Each attendee was given 3 stars and asked to choose 3 sisters who inspire her. I was really humbled by the lovely things people wrote, and by the generosity of the sisters who recognized me with stars.

And here is my name badge with stars from Convention in 2008, which was held in Scottsdale, Arizona.

As you can see, my stars are pretty important to me. And while I love to receive them, I love to give them even more! So much so that I'm going to write a separate post about it. In the meantime, who would you buy stars for? Star Booth is for everyone, whether you can attend Convention or not. Think how much it would mean to someone you love to get an email or postcard saying they are a star in your life!