Our History

Chartered May 16, 1987 with 47 members, Pi Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated   (PTO) became the 87th chapter of the Sorority's Great Lakes Region and the fifth graduate chapter in the Detroit Metropolitan area. In 2022, PTO celebrated a milestone 35 years of ‘service and sisterhood’. Currently, Chapter President Palina R. Drake, Psy D, presides over a membership that has grown to 336 strong.
 

Primarily focused on communities in Southeastern Oakland County, Pi Tau Omega serves Southfield, Royal Oak Township, Ferndale and Oak Park by continuously collaborating with and/or supporting national and community-based organizations, like the American Heart Association, Ascension Providence Hospital, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Forgotten Harvest, Park House Senior Living, the Pearls of Service Foundation, Incorporated  , MacArthur K-8 University Academy and Samaritas House, just to name a few.
 

In 1991, PTO organized and sponsored the AKATeens, a youth group comprised of a diverse group of high school girls from the tri-county area. Annually, these students provide hundreds of volunteer service hours in the surrounding communities, while developing and refining their leadership skills. Their outstanding academic and community service achievements are recognized annually at the 'Pink and White Scholarship Ball* hosted in collaboration with the Pearls of Service Foundation, Incorporated  .
 

Over the years, Pi Tau Omega has implemented a variety of local community service programs and events, like the ever so popular Pink Hustle, which continues to raise thousands of dollars for scholarships and programs. The annual Youth and Family Financial Literacy seminars, in collaboration with local businesses that provide expert advice and insights regarding financial independence and entrepreneurship. The chapter also brought forth a proposal to officially recognize Juneteenth in the City of Southfield, Michigan. With the support of The Honorable Mayor Kenson Siver, the City Council approved the legislation in 2020.
Celebrating Juneteenth has since expanded to a week-long series of historic and cultural events in collaboration with Pi Tau Omega Chapter, the Pearls of Service Foundation, Incorporated  and the support of many other area organizations.
 

Additionally, Pi Tau Omega has provided various health seminars over the years to promote the importance of nutrition, fitness, and self-care for mental, emotional and physical health. In 2021, Pi Tau Omega joined forces with two other metro Detroit chapters, Tau Alpha Omega and Omega Epsilon Omega, and two overseas, Psi Tau Omega (Johannesburg, South Africa) and Pi Upsilon Omega (Freeport, Bahamas) to promote Breast Health Matters. Their goal was to not only inform, but raise funds for the
cancer organizations working with the two overseas chapters to support the underserved in their respective areas by providing treatment, mammograms and health education. During the introductory Zoom event, the Sorority’s International Regional Director noted the substantial global impact initiated by this five - chapter collaboration, which ultimately exceeded all expectations.

The skilled, visionary, college-educated women of Pi Tau Omega Chapter have made tremendous strides over the last three and a half decades in Southfield and neighboring cities. Like all 1,046 chapters worldwide, PTO is implementing the Sorority’s current international platform of Soaring to Greater Heights of Service & Sisterhood - - innovative initiatives designed to elevate local communities and address global challenges, building upon Alpha Kappa Alpha's rich 115–year legacy of Service to All Mankind.