BAY MINETTE, Alabama — Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. was founded on Jan. 13, 1913 by 22 collegiate women at Howard University to promote academic excellence and provide assistance to those in need.

The Baldwin County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., has been in existence since 2007. The Baldwin County Alumnae Chapter focuses a tremendous amount of its community service efforts towards the youth of Baldwin and Escambia counties.

Through its educational development programs, Delta Academy and Delta GEMS, the sorority serves young ladies in middle school through high school. Both of these programs have been active since the Baldwin County Alumnae Chapter was chartered.

The chapter is looking to expand these programs by serving more young ladies this year and making a larger impact in the community through community service.

The Delta Academy was created out of an urgent sense that bold action was needed to save young females ages 11 through 14 from the perils of academic failure, low self-esteem and crippled futures.

Specifically, Delta Academy augments girls’ scholarship in math, science and technology, their opportunities to provide service in the form of leadership through service learning defined as the cultivation and maintenance of relationships.

A primary goal of the program is to prepare young girls for full participation as leaders in the 21st Century. The interest meeting for Delta Academy will be held Aug. 24 at the Daphne Recreation Center at 10 a.m. and Sept. 17 at the Fairhope Civic Center.

The Delta GEMS program honors the 12th national president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Dr. Jeanne L. Noble. Noble was a legendary pioneer in the field of education and social action.

The Delta GEMS program, officially renamed The Dr. Jeanne L. Noble Delta GEMS Institute, continues to spotlight teenage girls between the ages of 14 to 18 in grades nine through 12.

The Delta GEMS Institute is a continuum of services that address the needs of these young women with a framework for the participants to discover and understand their individual brilliance by embracing the aims of the GEMS theme: “Growing and Empowering Myself Successfully.”

The goals for Delta GEMS are to instill the need to excel academically; to provide tools that enable girls to sharpen and enhance their skills to achieve high levels of academic success; to assist girls in proper goal setting and planning for their futures in high school and beyond, to create compassionate, caring, and community minded young women and actively involve them in service advocacy and community service opportunities.

The Delta GEMS framework is composed of five major components: Scholarship, Sisterhood, Show me the Money, Service and Infinitely Complete. The interest meeting for the Dr. Jeanne L. Noble Delta GEMS Institute will be held Saturday, Aug. 27 at the Bay Minette Intermediate School from 10 to 11 a.m.

Baldwin County Alumnae Chapter also offers another valuable opportunity for young ladies called the LaGrandeur Finale Cotillion. The chapter conducted its first LaGrandeur Cotillion Finale in 2008. This program is a unique mentoring program as well as one of the chapter’s largest fundraising events.

This program allows junior and senior high school girls, who possess a 2.7 GPA or higher, along with other criteria to participate in this glamorous event. The young ladies participate in various service projects, an etiquette course, and a luncheon, which all lead up to the big event. The interest meeting for the LaGrandeur Finale Cotillion will be held Saturday, Aug. 27 at 11 a.m.