| The History of Women in Leisure Services
Chi Kappa Rho was created from the mind of one woman, a woman with great vision, inspiration, hopes and dreams. She believed a group of women who were engaged professionally in the various fields of recreation, could be brought together to promote unity of purpose, high standards of achievement, and a better understanding and appreciation of related endeavors for the attainment of professional goals and to provide an opportunity for fostering friendship and sociability, stimulating mutual helpfulness and loyalty, and providing professional services.
HELEN I. PONTIUS, our founder, shared these ideas with several women in 1935 at a City of Los Angeles Playgrounds Department Recreation Directors meeting. In 1936, Chi Kappa Rho became a reality when the first Chapter, Alpha, in Los Angles, California was chartered. The organization grew slowly and from 1935 to 1967 all of the chapters were located in the State of California. The first National Board was established in 1964, and we became a California non-profit corporation in 1975. A vote of the members in 1991 resulted in an amendment to the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws to officially change the name of the organization from Chi Kappa Rho to Women in Leisure Services, Chi Kappa Rho, Inc.
Today, Women in Leisure Services, Chi Kappa Rho, Inc. is a nation organization for professional women involved in the delivery of leisure and community services in public, private and commercial setting. A network of chapters serves administrators, supervisors, educators, therapist, and allied professionals in geographical areas across the nation.
A chapter provides an effective framework for women from a variety of professional, leisure and community service fields to share their ideas, broaden their interests, sharpen their skills, and to influence the profession in a unified manner.
The network of local chapters forms the base from which stems the National Board of Directors. Each chapter selects a delegate to represent them on the National Board. The National Board Delegate is the key person to facilitate the communication between the local chapter and the national Board. She attends the National Board meetings where she speaks and votes on issues in a manner that represents her local chapter members. She is responsible for reporting pertinent information to her chapter membership. In addition to one board delegate from each chapter, the National Board consists of five officers, elected from across the nation who have had previous chapter board experience.
Constant input from each woman in our profession is needed and desired. It is up to each chapter to reach out to professional women in their area to form a local base from which to offer strength to our network and to help formulate the direction and growth of our national organization.
The name Chi Kappa Rho come from the Greek letter X, K and P that stand for character, knowledge and recreation. The symbols on the Chi Kappa Rho seal are the scale for justice and service, the lamp for enlightenment, and the wings for athletics. |
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