On Friday Oct, 16, 2026, members of Phi Chi Chapter, Incorporated of Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Incorporated gathered to celebrate the 94th Founder’s Day Celebration at Piedmont Healthcare in Augusta.
It was in 1932 that 12 courageous Black nurses had the vision to elevate the plane of nursing and inspire greater interest in the profession of nursing. Their vision became Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Incorporated, a professional organization for registered nurses and student nurses, according to a news release from the organization.
The organization has grown to more than 100 graduate chapters and 41 undergraduate chapters with focus on disease prevention and health promotion of senior and youth services. Members are committed to service, leadership, scholarship and the advancement of nursing.
During this ceremony, Sorors honored charter members, lit a candle for deceased members and presented a Spotlight of the Quarter Award to Soror Cherise Fretwell and the Juanita W. Taylor Soror of the Year Award to Soror Kay Roland.
Basileus Lorraine Stephens expounded on the chapter’s progress and its accomplishments and expressed her gratefulness for the soror’s dedication to this sorority and this community. Phi Chi Chapter was chartered on May 21, 1977, and has been actively involved with providing “Service for Humanity” for this sorority ever since, the release said.
“Cherise Fretwell, CNM, FNP-C was selected as Phi Chi’s Spotlight of the Quarter. Fretwell joined Phi Chi Chapter in November 2012 and has been instrumental in making herself available to the cause it represents. She serves as the Chair of the Nominating Committee. She is an asset to this chapter and this sorority. She acknowledges this sorority as one of her greatest blessings and humbly accepts this recognition as a symbol of sisterly love,” the release said.
Fretwell earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1998 at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Master of Science in Nursing in 2010 at Emory University with preparation as a Family Nurse Practitioner and Certified Nurse-Midwife. She also completed a Post-Master’s Teaching Certificate. She has held positions in several settings at several medical facilities and presently is employed as a Family Nurse Practitioner with Optum at Home in the North Carolina West Market.
Kay Roland, RN, DON was selected as MaeDella Perry Nurse of the Year Award of Phi Chi Chapter of Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Incorporated. She currently serves as the organization’s secretary.
“She joined this chapter in November 2005 and serves with an abundance of love and support,” the news release said.
Roland attended Augusta Technical College and became an LPN in 1988 and earned an Associate Degree in Nursing in 1993 at Augusta University. Kay presently serves as the Director of Nursing at Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home/Augusta University. She is actively involved with the Advisory Board for the nursing program at Augusta Technical College and involved with several other agencies in the CSRA.
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