An Overview of Epsilon Sigma Alpha

Founded in 1929, Epsilon Sigma Alpha International is a leadership/service organization that offers members the personal assistance, supportive programs, and information needed to develop confidence and competence to go forth and impact the world in a positive way.

In 1972, ESA responded to Danny Thomas's request for support for the kids by adopting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN as one of its major philanthropic projects. Since that time, members have been actively involved in supporting the hospital in a multitude of ways, including volunteering at the facility and participating in and sponsoring fund-raising events.

ESA members make a difference in the communities in which they live. Over 1200 chapters provide 650,000 direct service hours and more than $8 million in charitable contributions annually.

To help members become their personal best, ESA provides leadership training, scholarships, educational programs, and the challenge to develop individual strengths. Opportunities to chair events, hold officer roles, and handle special projects provide members with important hands-on experience.

Good works do not go unnoticed at ESA. An extensive awards program that includes quality rewards, honors, and employment credit for training and accomplishments is available.

Celebrating 70 years of success, ESA has long been known as an organization on the cutting edge. Always ahead of its time, Epsilon Sigma Alpha has developed new and creative avenues in which volunteers can make a difference in the world.

Epsilon Sigma Alpha has numerous avenues in which to participate. Traditional Chapters are open to persons 18 years of age and older, regardless of race, color, creed, or national origin. ESA also features Active Youth Chapters for young women not yet 18 years of age, Collegiate Sorority Chapters to accommodate members within academic settings, and Men's Chapters. In addition, an Associate Membership is also available, where individuals and companies can support ESA without belonging to an established chapter.

EPSILON SIGMA ALPHA
Over Seventy Years of Service and Achievement
The View from ESA Headquarters

The following brief chronology has been compiled using “The ESA Story: 1929-1979”, “Sixty Years of Excellence” and articles from the historical documents, past editions of the JONQUIL magazine and other archival materials that are housed at ESA Headquarters.

The Great War, followed by the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, had released women from their second-class citizen status and many had taken their first tentative steps into business and professional careers.

There they had found their educational background lacking. Normal schools had not given them the broad background needed to compete in a rapidly changing world. Book publishers recognized this void and began to organize reading and study clubs for women throughout the nation. 

The study clubs were fragmented and had little or no communication with each other in neighboring communities or states. Affiliated with one of these clubs, The National What To Read Club, was Adelia Prichard, a business woman from Portland, Oregon.

Adelia Prichard was an organizer and a visionary. She had served as National President of the Business and Professional Women’s Club from 1923-1925 and her experience convinced her that women were able managers and financiers and that a need existed for a woman’s organization to provide continuing education for women outside of the traditional classroom.

Her stated idea was: “To give a definite educational program for the busy woman…a program that would lift her from the drudgery of everyday life to the heights that would give vision, faith, and understanding.” She wanted women to know and understand the world around them and to be prepared in the world of business.

However, it took her years to express her vision because she felt she needed an organization that already had a framework in place. She wanted this organization to be united under a single banner and for a single purpose. She found this in The National What To Read Club, and she convinced the owners of the organization to convert its structure from simply selling books and reading programs into a close knit organization of women with the purpose of continuing education, national fellowship and social interchange.

To advance the program, she used her contacts and also found women in various states to become paid organizers and sponsors for local organizations. In early 1929, a model club was established in Jacksonville, Texas by Mrs. C.H. Simpson, the first woman to join the new organization. Other subsequent chapters organized their clubs based on the pattern of the first one.

Mrs. Prichard chose Greek letters Epsilon Sigma Alpha to signify National Reading Society and had the Open Book represent “the wealth of knowledge and strength of wisdom” as the national emblem.

Continue reading the history of Epsilon Sigma Alpha

ESA Spirit

Members often note that the letters ESA stand for EDUCATION, SERVICE, and ASSOCIATION. The experiences that they derive from each of these aspects of membership combine to create opportunities for personal growth that far exceed those of single purpose organizations.

The spirit of ESA calls for the development of a well-balanced lifestyle that encourages members to develop personal talents to pursue excellence in all aspects of daily life. The programs, projects, and people of ESA create opportunities for each individual member to develop skills that enhance self-esteem and make significant personal accomplishments possible. Whether members join together in a chapter unit or maintain individual freestanding membership, they strive to create a positive difference for the communities in which they live. On an international level, their achievements set a high standard and serve as an excellent example of what can be accomplished through quality volunteer service when good people are brought together to do good things.

ESA members will tell you that their only right is “the right to be of service”. This “right of service” is an important cornerstone that forms the spirit of ESA. Members SERVE each other, their communities, and the world at large by designing educational programs, by organizing projects that put their educational efforts to practical use, and by sharing their skills and resources with others who are in need.

As a result, ESA members are people who WANT to make a difference, who welcome challenges, and are gratified by personal involvement. They are “people people” who enjoy working with others, and who are touched by the testimonials of others. They are particularly interested in causes that affect families . . . children in particular. They respond readily to individuals and are especially supportive of fellow members. Strong bonds of fellowship create positive, significant, and lasting friendships for the majority of ESA members.

The words “caring” and “sharing” are important to ESA members as these words have come to characterize the basic spirit of the membership. ESA members are people who care enough to share. Membership success and satisfaction are measured by the degree to which individual members and chapters have been able to achieve positive ideals.

While the orientation of how to achieve these ideals has changed over the years, the basic SPIRIT OF ESA has remained constant over its more than 72 year history.

ESA’s Three-fold Focus:
Education, Service, and Association

• Education: ESA provides educational materials, seminars, and training opportunities that help members develop skills that enhance self-esteem and make significant personal accomplishments possible. This includes the opportunity to become a Certified Volunteer of America.

• Service: ESA has two international projects, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Easter Seals. Each state and local chapters often support additional local charities as well. The sum of their efforts results in more than $10 million raised on an annual basis.  ESA also supports “hands-on” service, providing personal service to those in need on an individual and chapter basis. Special ESA hands-on projects include such programs as “Hats for Hope”, “Warm Welcome” and the “ABC’s of ESA”.  These projects assist the homeless, at-risk infants, and the illiterate.  ESA’s “Care Connection” provides direct support for members who need assistance for themselves or for family members. Service and support are provided on a personal “member-to-member” basis, using ESA’s internationally connected computer network.   

• Association: Within an atmosphere of mutual support and companionship, membership in ESA provides a variety of fun, educational, and exciting social opportunities. Parties, conventions, travel, and even cultural outings extend the ESA circle of friendship that you can count on. Often ESA can involve and strengthen the whole family. ESA embraces people of all ages and backgrounds, and encourages them to enjoy an active role in programs, projects, and fun.