On May 16, Barbara Palmer-Hafner, of the Village of LaBelle, was named the first president of the new Alpha Epsilon Epsilon Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., also known as The Pearls of North Lake County, during a chartering ceremony for the alumni chapter of the sorority.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is one of the Divine Nine, a collection of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
Palmer-Hafner, a life member of the sorority who first joined 40 years ago, said AKA is a, “tremendous organization of professional women across the world who unite in service to better the community.
”The organization will serve north Lake County, focusing on Leesburg and Eustis, for initiatives including education, social justice and health — primarily providing resources on breast cancer, obesity and hypertension.
During the ceremony held at the Mission Resort + Club Golf in Howey-in-the-Hills — following the theme “A Moment-Us ‘Mic Drop,’ the Significant Timing of a Legacy!” — 23 women dressed in white from head to toe officially launched a new chapter of the organization.
“It was a long time coming,” said Palmer-Hafner. “The commitment and dedication of 23 women who are determined to bring their vision into reality finally came together on May 16. It was a humbling experience.”
Before becoming an official organization, members of the Alpha Epsilon Epsilon Omega Chapter of AKA spent years as an interest group before receiving approval to become a chapter.
Shaun Wethington, of the Village of Mallory Square and one of the 23 women inducted into the new chapter, has been a part of the effort to charter the organization since the beginning.
“The ceremony was a moment that I won’t ever forget,” Wethington said. “There were about five or six of us when we started in 2019, but when COVID-19 hit, we had to take a break. When we finally got approval to become an interest group, it took about another year and a half to two years to complete everything needed to charter.
“We put in a lot of hard work and it was a long time coming,” she said. “Seeing all the sisters of the organization come together, all I could say was, ‘Thank you, God.’”
Wethington said she was so excited to learn that Palmer-Hafner was named president of Alpha Epsilon Epsilon Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
“First of all, she has the heart of an angel,” Wethington said. “In her speech, she spoke about how she wanted the sisterhood to come together by the grace of God and when she said that, it just melted me. Just knowing her through our walk in becoming a chapter, she has always shown professionalism and that she has leadership skills. She’s such a good person and I just knew she was going to get it because of who she is. I just know that she’s going to do a great job, because Mrs. Barbara always gives it her all.”
Wethington, who is founder of the Lake, Sumter, Marion Section of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and a member of The African American Club of The Villages (TAAC), enjoys being part of organizations that reflect her personal mission in life.
“Someone said to me one time when they were talking about the mission of NCNW, ‘It seems like everybody is doing the same thing.’ I said, ‘Yeah, everybody might be doing the same thing, or have the same mission or similar initiatives, but the more organizations we have involved then the greater grounds we are going to cover,” Wethington said. “If it’s social justice, we are always going to have problems, or if it’s health, we are always going to have health issues. Health is always going to be personal to me because that’s who I am. I am a nurse, so I’m always going to have an interest in health.
“I have an interest in my community as far as making sure that everybody is educated,” she said. “Where you live, you gotta be aware of your surroundings and of the changes going on around you no matter what. The more you learn, the more you grow. It benefits us all, so that’s very personal to me.”
For more information about the Alpha Epsilon Epsilon Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, email pearlsofnorthlake@gmail.com or visit Alpha Epsilon Epsilon Omega, the North Lake County Chapter of AKA on Facebook.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
