Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first sorority for Black women, has chapters across the state. Many members want to remain involved after college, and that’s where Rose of Impetus comes in.
Together with the rest of her Alpha Kappa Alpha sisters, Pat Gamble-Moore established Rose of Impetus in Hamilton and Hancock Counties. For now, the group is a sub-organization of the overarching Alpha Kappa Alpha as it waits to gain enough membership to make it a full-fledged sorority chapter, which is why it doesn’t have a Greek name yet.
“Indianapolis has two chapters, Alpha Mu Omega and Chi Chi Omega,” said Gamble-Moore, who serves as an executive committee member with Rose of Impetus. “Our idea was let’s focus on Hamilton County. It’s underserved, and we think there’s a fair amount of our sorority sisters that we can reengage. Just because I’m a sorority member doesn’t necessarily mean I’m active. We’re really trying to re-engage those that might not be active in either of those existing chapters.”
It will take one to two years for Rose of Impetus to become a full-fledged sorority chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha. During that timeframe, the group will have to demonstrate that it has a growing membership. Since its launch in February 2023, the group has gone from six members to more than 35 members.
Additionally, the group must demonstrate that there is a need for its initiatives.
“We had to establish that there was a need for our programs in Hamilton County and then we have to continue to demonstrate that we have enough members to sustain and grow a chapter,” Gamble-Moore said. “The oldest chapter in Indianapolis has 600 members. The other chapter has over 250 members, so we’re hoping one of these days we’ll have 100 to 200 members. We’re starting at ground level.”
Some of the main goals of Rose of Impetus are to elevate problems affecting girls and women, cultivate high scholastic and ethical standards, and be of service to all mankind.
So far, Rose of Impetus has been involved in the community by volunteering in local parks to plant trees, at a food bank and a Crime Stoppers shredding event. It also hosted a food drive as part of the MLK Day of Service.
“We have a wide range of skillsets and experience,” Gamble-Moore said. “We have three doctors, lawyers, bankers, just people in all kinds of disciplines. We feel like we have talent and experience to share with the community, especially with our youth. Our schools are changing, they’re more diverse. We want to be representative of our students that are in Fishers, Carmel, etc. We want our students of color to see professionals that look like them and engage with them.”
Those interested in membership can reach out to [email protected].
