By AARON MUELLER
Niles Daily Star

The Niles chapter of the Psi Iota Xi sorority has been active in the community for 51 years.

The group of about 30 members is looking to increase its membership in order to make even more of an impact in the Niles area. The sorority will be holding a tea event March 6 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Riverfront Cafe in downtown Niles.

“It’s just an amazing group of women that learn from each other and support each other and the community,” Annette Beck, a member for 20 years, said. “We are trying to make a difference and are having fun doing it.”

The sorority holds fundraisers with all proceeds being pumped back into the community.
“We concentrate on the areas of speech, hearing, language, arts, literature and music,” Beck said.

Every year the sorority runs the arts and crafts booth at the Apple Festival, helps run vision and hearing screenings at local elementary schools and awards a scholarship to an area senior – among other fundraisers.

The ladies are also reintroducing their sweet and spicy pickle fundraiser this month.
“We’ve been getting orders left and right,” Beck said.

The sorority meets the second Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. at a member’s home.
Psi Iota Xi is a charitable organization founded in 1897 supporting communities with chapters in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky.