Chapter Philanthropy

Philanthropy is one of the most important parts of the Kappa experience, as it allows us to connect with and help women and girls, much like ourselves, both locally and nationally.

As the 2025 Philanthropy Director, I hope to further motivate Kappas to pursue community service and philanthropic endeavors. I also hope to educate members of our greater UC Santa Barbara community about our two very important philanthropies – Mental Health America and The Ovarian Cancer Circle.

Our national philanthropy, Mental Health America, is the leading national nonprofit organization that is dedicated to raising mental health awareness and support. Kappa reflects these values internally by providing social, emotional, and academic support to our members. We also hold sisterhood, siblinghood, and service events that allow us to come together as a Kappa community, a Panhellenic-IFC community, and a Santa Barbara community to prioritize wellness and destigmatize mental health.

Our local philanthropy, The Ovarian Cancer Circle, is an organization that Kappa holds incredibly close to our hearts. The Ovarian Cancer Circle was founded in honor of our beloved sister, Robin Babbini, who sadly passed away in 2006 from ovarian cancer. Robin’s mother, Paulinda, continues to share Robin’s story and educate our chapter and many other women about the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. The proceeds we raise for The Circle go directly to ovarian cancer research and education.

This spring we again held our annual Kappa Kapture the Flag tournament, which is always such a fun opportunity for us to bring the UC Santa Barbara community together in honor of two amazing causes. In addition to Kapture the Flag, we held a very successful philanthropy week, for which we collaborated with many local food vendors and businesses. Through these fun and educational events, this spring Kappa raised nearly $25,000 for our local and national philanthropies, and we hope to raise more this coming year!

Kappa provides a wonderful opportunity for empowered women in our UCSB community to become involved with philanthropy and service. These are values that my sisters and I will carry with us for the rest of our lives. That being said, I look forward to continuing to work with this amazing group of girls in our efforts to help women in our community and around the world!

Loyally, Katya Davis