Eta Pi Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated was founded on November 11, 1973 in Montgomery County, Maryland. It was among the first predominantly African-American social and community service organizations to be established in Montgomery County and resulted from the lowering of housing barriers for African Americans after the civil rights movement in the 1960s. As new families moved into the county, the need for a Montgomery County chapter was evident to provide other Zetas the opportunity to remain active and to provide a voice in the county for the new residents. Eta Pi Zeta has continued to carry out the mission of the organization serving Montgomery County for over 44 years through various community service activities and programs, including: an educational scholarship cotillion, health awareness fair, providing scholarships, education and resources to the elderly, assistance to the needy, and community outreach activities. Additionally, Eta Pi Zeta chapter is associated with the NAACP, Montgomery County Commission for Women, the National Panhellenic Council, Montgomery County Women’s Center, March of Dimes, Montgomery Homeless Center, and many other organizations.
Eta Pi Zeta provides outreach initiatives to the surrounding community through the sorority’s national program: Zetas Helping Other People Excel (Z-HOPE), advocates for environmental stewardship, raises awareness around domestic violence, and actively supports the National Educational Foundation (NEF). The Chapter also empowers the local youth by maintaining all three youth auxiliaries, hosting debutante cotillions, and providing scholarships to local high school seniors. Eta Pi Zeta also adopts schools to provide specialized programming to female students as mentors for education.
Eta Pi Zeta received awards for Z-HOPE programming on the State, Regional, and National level by completing numerous Z-HOPE programs/initiatives. Some of these initiatives included donating backpacks to a local elementary school, conducting seminars at Arcola Senior Living to educate and celebrate various topics, donating and sorting food at a local food bank. The Chapter is active in its partnership with the local March of Dimes to implement the March for Babies program. The Chapter has raised over $60,000.00 for the March for Babies.
Aside from its Z-HOPE programs, Eta Pi Zeta promotes awareness and advocacy for numerous social action initiatives such as encouraging and educating residents of the importance of voting, domestic violence, and social advocacy. Eta Pi Zeta successfully held several social forums to address police awareness, candidate forums for upcoming elections, and election voting demonstrations. The Chapter also raised awareness against domestic violence through a domestic violence symposium, and routinely participates individually and collectively with the Montgomery County Juvenile Justice Center.
Eta Pi Zeta Chapter actively supports the NEF, not only through its annual financial contributions to NEF scholarships, but in partnering with the NEF in planning and presenting community education programs, and scholarship benefit programs for the NEF endowment fund. In a joint sponsorship with the NEF, the Chapter conducted a successful workshop for youth in the District of Columbia and the Suburban Maryland area on Healthy Choices for a Brighter Future. Along with other Maryland Zeta chapters, Eta Pi Zeta partnered with the NEF in its Scholarship Benefit Breakfast, for the endowment fund.