Zeta Phi Beta National Initiatives
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. is honored to have formed many wonderful community-based partnerships over the past 85 years. Whether administering our Z-HOPE program or giving financial assistance through our National Education Foundation, we do so with the understanding that service to the community is our greatest legacy.
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Sigma Phi Zeta seeks to address and honor these causes in the communities of Lake County, Illinois. For ten years we have sought out and celebrated partnerships with various community groups and agencies, as well as the local branches of our national partners. In whatever form service is needed, we make it our business to get involved.
Z-HOPE: Zetas Helping Other People Excel
From the Sorority’s inception, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. has long demonstrated an interest in serving the needs of the community. Spanning the Sorority’s nearly thirty-year partnership with the March of Dimes to its relationship with the Human Genome Project, Zeta Phi Beta has been at the forefront of anticipating the ever-changing needs of society.
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What are the objectives of Z-HOPE?
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Z-HOPE is an outreach service program that has six primary objectives, corresponding measures of success and a mechanism for chapter recognition.
The primary objectives are:
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To provide culturally appropriate informational activities according to the Z-HOPE program format.
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To foster collaborative partnerships between community organizations with shared goals
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To promote the opportunities for expansion in Stork’s Nest programs.
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To facilitate community service and mentorship opportunities for members of the organization.
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To provide an equitable chapter recognition program for community services rendered.
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To provide a standard reporting format to concentrate efforts and demonstrate the organization’s impact.
Z-NEF: Zeta National Educational Foundation
The National Educational Foundation of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. with 501(c)3 status is created and operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. The principle activities and purpose of the trust are to award scholarship grants to worthy students for the pursuit of higher education; to conduct community educational programs which will aid in the educational and vocational improvement in individual and community living standards; to engage in activities which will aid in the educational development of all women; and to engage in any appropriate research related to the purposes of the Foundation scholarship.
Stork's Nest
Since 1972, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority has enjoyed a partnership with the March of Dimes in an effort to encourage women to seek prenatal care within the first trimester of pregnancy, thereby increasing the prevention of birth defects and infant mortality. Nationwide, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. sponsors over 175 Stork’s Nests.

The Stork’s Nest Program is designed to promote prenatal care participation and healthy behaviors during the pregnancy through two components - incentives and education. Stork’s Nest clients “earn” points toward incentives, such as maternity or baby care items, through a variety of positive, health-promoting activities such as attending prenatal care appointments, participating in prenatal education classes, keeping appointments for well-baby visits.
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The Stork’s Nest prenatal education sessions provide information, educational materials, and a variety of other resources and referrals that help clients take good care of themselves and their babies.