In December 2017, Grand Polemarch Thomas L. Battles, Jr. announced Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.’s official partnership with the Global Infant Safe Sleep (GISS) Center, a national organization created to help communities reduce infant sleep-related deaths and promote healthy infants and lifestyles. The GISS Center was founded in 2016 by Dr. Stacy D. Scott, a 30-year public health advocate who has worked from the government agency level to ground zero spearheading numerous outreach programs nationwide. Since its inception, the GISS Center team and Kappa Alpha Psi has worked side by side on numerous programs and sponsored events in an effort to educate the community about sudden infant death and safe sleep practices and give free cribs to families in need.
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. is an international organization founded on the campus of Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana on January 5, 1911. Since its inception, it has trained over 150,000 men, particularly undergraduates, for leadership roles in their communities and the attainment of a high degree of excellence in their academic pursuits. The International Headquarters is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Kappa Safe Infant Sleep Community Engagement Project Mini-Grants
The GISS Center is pleased to announce the availability of funding for a limited number of educational outreach projects to help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related causes of infant death, such as accidental suffocation. With the help of the GISS Center, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is offering funds to support the Kappa Safe Infant Sleep Community Engagement Project Mini-Grants. This community education effort is designed to:
1) Increase public awareness about the impact of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death
2) Teach ways to create safe infant sleep environments and reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death
3) Provide an opportunity to educate community members on the important role they have in reducing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related causes of infant death
The request for application (RFA) emphasizes outreach efforts within African American communities, although activities can include other racial/ethnic communities.
The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Graduate and Undergraduate Chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated
- Active Silhouettes Chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity
- Province Councils (Kappa/Silhouettes)
Click here for a downloadable application and guidelines! For technical assistance or questions about application requirements, please send an email to info@gisscenter.org.
Fatherhood Matters
Fatherhood Matters is a program designed to address different issues related to the health and wellness of men, focusing on the welfare of communities with an emphasis being placed on fathers and the critical role they have in the family structure. Lead by Nathaniel L. Jordan II, Executive Director, Fatherhood Matters — a Columbus (Ohio) Kappa Foundation initiative, and Community Relations Consultant for GISS, they provide programming to increase awareness, provide mentoring and teach parenting skills. The organization offers a 13-week program to help men become more empathetic and more comfortable sharing and dealing with their emotions. The program also addresses issues such as substance abuse, housing struggles and fatherhood. Recently, Fatherhood Matters, another one of the GISS Center’s partners, co-sponsored a series of forums in Ohio entitled Communities of Committed Men, where men come together to discuss the rise of infant mortality in counties with the highest death rates for African American babies. Thank you, Mr. Jordan, for joining up with the team and bringing your passion and knowledge to the movement!
Silhouettes of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
The Silhouettes is a long-standing organization of women made up of the proud wives of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity men. The GISS Center team is excited to have been given the opportunity to work alongside the Silhouettes in an effort to save the lives of our babies. Special thanks to Janice Hall Dean, National President, Silhouettes, for her ongoing support as we collaborate on efforts to educate Silhouettes membership on building alliances within communities to assist in education and awareness activities around SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant deaths. The Silhouettes also work to educate parents and other caregivers, child care providers, health care providers, and other community members about safe infant sleep practices through community outreach activities. Thank you, ladies!Changing a Tradition, Changing a Position Campaign
According to census figures, 2.7 million grandparents are raising grandchildren. Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity’s first lady and Silhouette Geraldine Battles is the GISS Center’s National Spokesperson for the GISS Center’s Changing a Tradition, Changing a Position Campaign, which focuses on the increasing number of non-parental caregivers who care for infants. This campaign promotes six key messages derived from the American Academy of Pediatrics Infant Sleep Safety and SIDS Risk Reduction Guidelines. Ms. Battles has travelled around the country with Dr. Stacy Scott and the GISS Center team to educate grandparents and other caregivers on safe sleep practices.