Our mission is to glorify God by being a diverse Christian sisterhood, committed to love and purity.
As of Wednesday night, there are thirty-five beautiful new flamin’ GATAs! The girls were transformed from little baby Flames…
…to members of this long-standing sisterhood with the gift of their brand new jerseys:
You can see all the lovely new faces sing on the GATA fountain for the first time as members (glad to have their shoes on, in the freezing cold!) with their sisters on GATA Shayla’s Facebook page.
Jennifer Ellison, GATA sponsor, is a woman of many skills, not the least of which is her flair for event design. As ACU’s director of University Events, she makes miracles happen. Her success has brought her recognition from the National Association of Professional Women, which named her Woman of the Year.
“I’m thrilled to be named Woman of the Year by the NAPW,” says Jennifer. “It’s always exciting to be recognized by peers, but to be given this award by other professional women who value quality and integrity is truly an honor.”
The NAPW is an invitation-only association of female executives, professionals and entrepreneurs from across the United States, spanning almost every industry, according to their website.
Always humble, Jennifer hasn’t told many people – so of course, we want to shout it to the world! Congratulate her if you see her, GATAs! 🙂
The final count is in — thirty-seven girls have donned the red lipstick and white button-downs of the GATA Flame, joining us in our ninetieth year of rich legacy! A full afternoon of teas, four rockin’ rushes, and one crazy Bid Night later, these girls are revving up for pledging.
Meet the new pledge class officers!
— Flame President is the ever-energetic Corinne Morris.
— The position of Flame Secretary & PR Officer will be filled by the lovely Taylor Edwards.
— Flame Joanna Stewart will bring the spiritual enrichment, serving as Flame Chaplain.
— Miss Tori McFadden will serve as Flame Float Director. She’ll be working with GATAs Sara Morris and Stephanie Smith on the float for this year’s Homecoming parade.
— Heading up Homecoming Breakfast for the new pledge class is Flame Skye Mileger.
— This year’s Grub will be a smashing party thrown by Flame Randee Nelson.
— Flame Intramural Director, Shayla Herndon, will lead our Flames to victory on the field.
The current members and new Flames would all like to give a huge thank you to our GATA alums who have been so supportive with the influx of this new pledge class! The blog will keep you informed about all the awesome goings-on in GATA this year. If you’d like to add or update your contact information, email Sara Morris at sem06l@acu.edu.
Sophomore girls began looking for a sisterhood this Sunday as the rush season kicked off with 2010 Teas. GATA girls are bringing to rushes a renewed commitment to service, inviting these girls to join us in our involvement with several international mission efforts.
Bonnie Kellum, GATA president, was inspired this summer to join up with Jeremiah’s Hope, an organization that reaches out to the orphans and at-risk youth of Ukraine. She spent five weeks in a small village of about 200 people just outside of Ivankiv, Ukraine, working as a counselor at a summer camp that brings love, attention and guidance to orphans and impoverished kids from all over the nation.
The organization is inspired by Jeremiah 29:11 – “‘For I know the plans I have for you,”‘ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” For Bonnie, it was an inspirational time.
“I had a camper tell me our camp was the best thing that has ever happened to him. Another said it was the first time she’d been told she was loved… These are the stories that make it worth going there and raising money for them. Seeing the looks on their faces when they received their first Bible and a teddy bear- two very common items in America, but to these kids it was a priceless gift,” says Bonnie. “The hardest part for me was saying goodbye, knowing what I was sending them home to. However, when the kids saw how upset I got when it was time to say goodbye, they said ‘We don’t want you to miss us and be sad, just remember us.’ So that’s what I plan to do.”
For the women of GATA, the inspiration to serve causes of social justice is only getting stronger as the semester begins. The club will be working to raise money to send those Ukrainian kids to the week-long summer camp run by Jeremiah’s Hope. It’s only $40 for a week, but it’s a week of empowerment and love that can completely change these kids’ lives.
But that’s only where the service starts. GATA Flames will be sporting red bracelets for the entire length of pledging in support of the Red Thread Movement, which partners with Eternal Threads to rescue young girls in Nepal from sex trafficking. GATA girls are also strong supporters of TOMS Shoes, which donates a pair of shoes to a child in need somewhere around the world for every pair that is purchased.
And GATA has strong ties to Big Brothers Big Sisters. Last year, GATA partnered with BBBS for Homecoming weekend, bringing their Littles for the day on a hayride parade float and inviting them to the GATA fountain after Homecoming chapel.
“I have had several lengthy conversations with sophomores about getting involved in missions. It seems to be a common interest among most of the girls – this is a very humble and socially aware class,” says Bonnie. “I believe our efforts to support and be involved in mission work this year will attract girls who see that this is another facet that other clubs may be lacking. We’re offering them a chance not only to be in GATA and make a difference in social clubs and on ACU’s campus, but to make a difference in the world – something that everyone at ACU should strive for.”
Kelsey Burgy’s talent for making delicious cupcakes is no secret. Several GATA Bake Sales have proven her skills. But it wasn’t until the Denver Post recently awarded her first place in its cupcake contest that the world learned how artistic she could be with these sweet confections.
In June, the Post called amateur bakers all over Colorado to submit their best original cupcake designs for judging. And Kelsey responded!
She submitted this adorable panda cake, affectionately named “Mr. Panda” by the Southeast Christian Preschool students she’s teaching this summer
You can read more about Kelsey’s scrumdiddlyumptious submission and see the rest of the entries here.
Armed with red lipstick and a red-hot attitude, GATA girls rocked the intramural volleyball scene this year!
Early victories against Alpha Kai teams put GATA’s team into tournament play, where the girls in red and white confounded opponents with their excitement for the game and overwhelming encouragement for each other.
In the second round of the tournament, after three rousing victories, GATA was defeated by women of the Siggie Yellow team, who went on to win the tournament. The crowds of GATA fans weren’t disappointed,
though; GATA’s lipstick never smudged and their smiles never slipped.
After each game, the campus echoed with the sounds of the team and GATA fans gathering to sing Flamin’ GATAs to celebrate the accomplishments of the players.
Special shout-outs go to:
GATA and friends recently spent a weekend near Marble Falls, Texas at Camp of the Hills, a Christian summer camp that operates on donations to allow inner-city kids the opportunity to experience God.
In March, the camp was struck by a calamitous fire, bringing down the dining hall, which housed the kitchen, nurse’s office, camp supplies, and served as the gathering place for campers during the summer.
GATA has connections to the camp, as GATA Ally Craigie has served as a camp counselor at the camp, and 2008-09 GATA Beau Drew Bowen is the director. When the girls heard about the fire, they knew they had to help.
Eight GATAs and three “Men of GATA” piled into cars and made the three-hour drive through Texas hill country to help the camp staff prepare for more than 400 campers to arrive at the beginning of June.
Between cleaning out the volunteer cottages, doing laundry and digging a ditch to run electrical wire to a cabin, the group got the chance to marvel at the beauty of springtime in the woods.
When they gathered for an evening devo on the “Jesus hill,” a hilltop bearing three crosses, which looks out over the camp and a nearby lake, the group was reminded of the importance of getting away from the hustle of the semester, juggling jobs, school and relationships, to enjoy the gifts that God has created.
Drew Bowen posted this video that shows more about the fire and Camp of the Hills.
This year, GATA is making a comeback in a big way, starting with our two spring rushes: the Pinkberry rush, and the GATA Shore rush.
More than 100 freshman girls are already geared up for our Pinkberry rush, which will feature real Pinkberry frozen yogurt, great music, and mingling with the lovely GATA ladies.
The fun starts Thursday, April 14 at 9 pm at the ACU Labyrinth, in front of the new Hunter Welcome Center.
Our second spring rush is Jersey Shore – GATA style. Like the fist-pumping New Jerseyans on the sho
w, GATAs and freshmen should be prepared for a fun and eventful night. Who knows what will happen when you combine self-tanner, sandy beaches, bump-its and some pumping techno music? Prizes will be given to the girls with the highest hair bump, best New Jersey accent and the best overall Jersey Shore star impersonations. Rushees will enjoy the music videos, skits, tasty funnel cakes and fries in a cone at Bonnie Kellum’s house, 1102 Washington Blvd., at 7 pm on Thursday, April 22.
As a special bonus, girls who attend both rushes may see themselves on the GATA video – we’ll be taping at the Pinkberry rush and showing the video at the GATA Shore rush!
Last weekend, GATAs and dates celebrated another fabulous year at this year’s Formal, The After Party. Dressed to the nines, ladies and gents strolled the red carpet as the paparazzi cameras clicked.
Award winners of the night included:
After dinner, guests set off in their elegant attire – to play! Bowling, miniature golf, laser tag and arcade games had girls kicking off their heels and boys loosening their ties.
