Zeta Tau Alpha Merchandise, History, & Other Information

Show Your Support With Zeta Tau Alpha Merchandise

On October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School, now Longwood University, in Farmville, Virginia, Zeta Tau Alpha was founded. The founders of Zeta Tau Alpha are Maud Jones Horner, Della Lewis Hundley, Alice Bland Coleman, Mary Jones Batte, Alice Grey Welsh, Ethel Coleman Van Name, Helen M. Crafford, Frances Yancey Smith, and Ruby Leigh Orgain. They consulted two of the founder’s brothers, who were both in Greek fraternities, and eventually came up with the sorority name, badge, and patron goddess. These women began Zeta Tau Alpha as a way to bond them together so they would continue their friendship way beyond college and into their later lives.

Zeta Tau Alpha has always been widely involved with philanthropic causes. Sisters can be seen in their Zeta Tau Alpha sweatshirts, hats, T-shirts, pins, and apparel when enthusiastically contributing in fundraisers for charitable causes. The Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation was created to further their charitable contributions. The foundation funds programs in the areas of education, leadership, and the needs of society. Zeta Tau Alpha continues to help as many charities as possible across the nation.

Some of the organizations that have benefited from the Zeta Tau Alpha foundation are Easter Seals, the Cerebral Palsy Division of the National Society for Crippled Children and Adults, the Association for Retired Citizens, the Red Cross, the Sunshine Kids Foundation, and Reading is Fundamental, Inc. The foundation also established a health center in Smith City, Virginia. All of these organizations have received donations from the Zeta Tau Alpha foundation to help them build and grow.

Zeta Tau Alpha’s official national charity has been The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation since 1992. Since then Zeta Tau Alpha has expanded this initiative to include any organization that promotes awareness, health, and education of breast cancer. They hold fundraisers and promote Think Pink, a breast cancer awareness campaign that is also supported by Yoplait and the NFL. Together these organizations work hard to spread the word and raise money to help find a cure for breast cancer.

The official flower of Zeta Tau Alpha is the white violet and the official colors are turquoise blue and steel gray. Universities all over the nation have members who wear these colors on their Zeta Tau Alpha hoody sweatshirts, hats, and clothing. At formal events the colors are also proudly displayed with Zeta Tau Alpha party favors, glasses, and other merchandise.

Pledges rush Zeta Tau Alpha and wear the sorority rings, flip flops, and jewelry to show their dedication. Once they are accepted into Zeta Tau Alpha, there is an induction ceremony to make them full members. At the induction ceremony new members learn the sorority secrets, like what the official flower represents, and the significance of the sorority colors. Upon induction Zeta Tau Alpha sisters may give new members gifts like pins, blankets, and other merchandise. These gifts are a symbol of lasting sisterhood and dedication to the values of Zeta Tau Alpha.