Ruby Fund

Stella George Stern Perry said these powerful words when creating Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity, “Above all, we wanted a high and active special purpose to justify existence and a simple devotion to some worthy end.” The Ruby Fund’s purpose is just that – devotion to a worthy cause; and its first recipient, fittingly was Stella.

Since 1946, the Ruby Fund has assisted 294 sisters in need.  It is no surprise that sisters all across the U.S. and Canada refer to the Ruby Fund as the “heart” of AOII.

In 2005, in response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, a special fund was established, Ruby Fund Disaster Relief.  The Foundation was able to fund five Disaster Relief grants to women affected by the Hurricane.

The Foundation will continue working hard to support sisters in need. All requests and awards remain confidential and are handled by the Foundation's Ruby Fund Committee. Assistance in the form of a grant is given to designated recipients. Senior collegians may be considered for Ruby Fund assistance although alumnae are the main recipients.

Why does AOII want to Strike Out Arthritis!?

• Arthritis is the nation's leading cause of disability.
• 46 million Americans (1 in 5) and 300,000 children have one of the more than 100 types of arthritis. Over 4 million Canadians have a form of arthritis.
• Arthritis affects 2 times more women than men.
• Costs to the U.S. economy totals more than $86.2 billion annually.
• THERE IS NO CURE.

Since 1967 over 1.5 million dollars has been raised by AOIIs and donated through the Foundation to support the mission of conquering arthritis once and for all!

How does AOII Help?

• Arthritis research grants
  • Emily Gillespie received $75,000 for research on genomics of systemic lupus erythematosus.
  • Ashley J. Beard, MPH, was awarded $15,000 for her work studying cost as a factor in communication between the rheumatoid arthritis patient and his/her rheumatologist regarding medication management.

• Juvenile Arthritis educational grants
  • A Foundation grant of $10,000 was awarded in 2007 to the National Juvenile Arthritis Conference to fund children's activities and programs.
  • $5,000 was granted in the form of scholarships to send families to the national conference.

Diamond Jubilee Scholarships

In all, 1,015 scholarships have been granted to deserving graduate and undergraduate sisters to further their educational goals. These women exhibit academic excellence as well as dedication to serving the community and Alpha Omicron Pi.

A prior DJS recipient Hannah B. Jacobs states, "In addition to the monetary value of the scholarship, there was also the feeling of honor that accompanied it. It was an unbelievable feeling to receive an award from an organization that has had such an amazing impact on my life. Once again AOII proved to me that the ways in which my life is touched by the fraternity, its members and its programs is never ending."

Scholarship applications are available in October each year. The deadline for submission is March 1. All applications are reviewed and recipients chosen by the Foundation Scholarship Committee.

Annual Scholarships

Alpha Tau Chapter Scholarship
Preference given to a legacy, then available to any AOII in good standing.

Alumnae Honor Scholarship - NEW!

Awarded to a dues paying alumnae chapter member. If an alumnae chapter member does not apply or is not eligible, then to an at-large alumna member. If an at-large alumna member does not apply or is not eligible, then to a collegiate member. The general Diamond Jubilee Scholarship requirements apply as well.

The Angels of Kappa Theta Memorial Scholarship
Available to an AOII collegian in an active Southern California chapter. If no one is eligible then available to an AOII collegian at any active California chapter, and finally to a collegian at any active west coast chapter should there be no active chapters in California.

Carey Griner Memorial Scholarship
Available to a Kappa Kappa Chapter member who is a junior or senior with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above and requiring financial aid. Applicant must hold a leadership position (i.e. officer, committee chair, event chair, etc.) If no one from Kappa Kappa Chapter applies or is qualified, sisters from other Indiana colleges will be considered.

Dottie Leek Scholarship-Nu Omicron Chapter
Available to a Nu Omicron Chapter member in good standing. If no collegiate member applies or is eligible, then available to any Nu Omicron alumna for graduate studies.

Helen Haller Scholarship
Awarded to the top ranked graduate applicant.

Jennifer Combs/Chi Lambda Scholarship - NEW!

Awarded to a sophomore, junior, or senior initiated collegiate members in good standing of Chi Lambda Chapter. The applicants must display AOII ritual in everything they do and their kindness, compassion, and selflessness must be clearly recognized by those around them. To that effect, all applicants must submit a least one letter of recommendation from the Chapter Adviser or other AOII leader that provides examples of the above criteria. (This recommendation is in addition to the one requested as part of the general application.) Second, if no such member does apply in a given year or if no such applicants meet the basic Foundation Scholarship criteria, then it may be open to Chi Lambda Alumnae. Any alumnae must also submit letter(s) of recommendation to fulfill the requirements set forth in the first criteria. 

Kappa Gamma Scholarship - NEW!

Awarded first to an initiated collegiate member in good standing of Kappa Gamma Chapter of AOII, with a 3.0 GPA or better. Second, if no such member does apply in a given year or if no such applicants meet the basic Foundation scholarship criteria, then it may be open to any alumnae of Kappa Gamma Chapter for graduate work. Third, in the event there is no qualified Kappa Gamma collegian or alumna, then the award would be open to another collegiate AOII member in Florida.

Karen Tucker Centennial Scholarship
Available to any AOII in good standing.

Kerri Keith Memorial Scholarship
Available to a junior or senior in Gamma Sigma Chapter with a minimum 3.0 GPA and who exhibits high involvement in her fraternity. Special attention will be given to a student pursuing a degree in Actuarial Science or a related field. If no one from Gamma Sigma applies or is qualified, sisters from other Georgia colleges will be considered.

Langston/Purdy Scholarship
Available to a member of Lambda Sigma Chapter or Alpha Delta Chapter in good standing that has been diagnosed with any form of Arthritis. If no one is so qualified then the award is available to a Lambda Sigma or Alpha Delta that has at least a 2.8 GPA, is actively involved in her chapter as well as in her university. If there are no undergraduate applicants, the award is available to any Lambda Sigma or Alpha Delta graduate student.

Lou Meginness Couch Scholarship/Sigma Omicron Chapter
Available to an undergraduate member of Sigma Omicron Chapter.

Martha McKinney Wilhoite-Theta Chapter Scholarship
Available to a junior or senior of Theta Chapter at DePauw University who has a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better. If no one applies or there is not a qualified Theta member, the award is to go to a qualified AOII sister studying or residing in the State of Indiana. (Theta Chapter currently is closed.)

Muriel T. McKinney Scholarship
Awarded from Diamond Jubilee Scholarship funds to the top ranked undergraduate applicant.

Nu Iota Scholarship in Memory of Julia V. Nelson and in Honor of Elaine Nelson Mackenzie '55
Available to a collegiate member of Nu Iota Chapter in good standing and working toward a degree in Fine Arts (Music, Art, Drama, Literature/English) but not limited to a teaching degree in these areas. If no such member applies then award will be open to any major. If no collegiate members qualify then the award will be open to an alumna member of Nu Iota seeking an advanced degree or completion of a bachelor's degree. (Nu Iota Chapter currently is closed.)

Paula Jones Salter Memorial-Nu Beta Chapter Scholarship
Available to a Nu Beta collegiate member in good standing. If no collegian member applies or is eligible, then available to a Nu Beta alumna. Additional criteria may apply.

Rachel Allen/Alpha Chi Scholarship - NEW!

Awarded to a collegiate member in good standing of Alpha Chi Chapter. Second, if no such member does apply in a given year or if no such applicants meet the basic Foundation criteria, then it may be open to any alumnae of Alpha Chi Chapter for graduate work.

Rho Omicron Chapter Scholarship
Available to a collegiate member of Rho Omicron Chapter in good standing. If no one applies or is qualified then the award is available to an alumna of Rho Omicron seeking an advanced degree or completion of a bachelor's degree. If there is no Rho Omicron applicant, the award is available to any AOII member residing in or attending a university in the State of Tennessee.

Robert and Eleanore MacCurdy Scholarship
Available to any AOII applicant.

San Diego Alumnae Chapter Honor Scholarship
Available to a current dues paying member of the San Diego Alumnae Chapter, who demonstrates active involvement - lifetime loyalty to and participation in AOII activities. If no one applies or is qualified then the award is available to any alumna living in California at the time of application. If there is no California applicant the award is available to any AOII alumna living on the west coast at the time of application.

Convention Year Scholarships

These awards are available only during Convention (odd numbered) years.

Carolyn Huey Harris Scholarship
Available to a Lambda Sigma Chapter member who is a junior or above and pursuing a major in the field of communication (i.e journalism, public relations, marketing, speech, media) and has a minimum GPA of 3.0. This

sister must be actively involved in her chapter as well as her university.

Edith Huntington Anderson Scholarship
Available to a graduate student applicant with a Bachelor of Science degree or who will receive her B.S. degree by July 1 of the application period and pursue a career in medicine or a medical related field. While need may enter into the selection, the primary criteria should be the applicant's academic achievement as well as her personal attributes and attitudes.

Jo Ann Gibbons Scholarship
Available to a Kappa Alpha Chapter member who maintains a 2.5 or better GPA and has demonstrated dedicated service to her chapter. If a Kappa Alpha does not apply, then a member of another Indiana chapter will be eligible to receive the award.

Lauren Weiss Memorial/Gamma Omicron Chapter Scholarship - NEW!
Open to any junior or senior member of Gamma Omicron Chapter in good standing and meeting other established criteria

Pi Kappa Chapter Scholarship
Available to a collegiate or alumna member in good standing who is attending a 4-year college or university in the state of Texas. Need is to be the most important criteria used in the selection.

Ruth M. Johnson Memorial Scholarship
Available to a graduate student attending medical school or participating in a medical research program.

Leadership Institute Year Scholarships

These awards are available only during Leadership Institute (even numbered) years.

Laura McDowell Scholarship
Available to any AOII in good standing.

Rho Chapter Scholarship
Available to any AOII in good standing.