Brown County’ s
Psi Iota Xi
~ by Amy Huffman Oliver
58 Years of Giving
Most folks who have been in Brown County for a while probably remember the Log Cabin Tour, a self-guided driving tour visiting beautiful log cabin homes.
Others might remember sitting on Santa’ s lap at the Santa House in the 1970s.
Even more people count on ordering their spring bedding plants from someone who calls herself a“ Psi Ote” knowing part of their purchase will go back into the community.
For the past 58 years, the women of the Brown County chapter of Psi Iota Xi have been working to host events that provide thousands of dollars to the Brown County community. Their focus is to fund projects involving speech and hearing, art, music, and literacy.
In 1966, 22 Brown County women founded Eta Alpha chapter of Psi Iota Xi as part of a national philanthropic sorority whose mission, according to its website, is to foster“ personal growth by enriching the lives of others through philanthropic enterprises.”
Tammy Galm joined Psi Otes in 1970. Her earliest memories are of working at the Corner Closet, a thrift store the group operated from the back of the Village Green Building from 1968 to 1977.
“ I looked forward to Psi Ote events because I felt good about what we were doing in the community,” Galm said. It was through her collaborations with other Psi Otes and the many celebrations that she developed meaningful, lifelong friendships. Fundraisers over the Years
From 1973-1982, Psi Ote members dressed as Santa’ s elves and transformed homes into the Santa House each Christmas.
From 1991-2008, Psi Otes sponsored a popular Fifties and Sixties Dance where costumes of the era were encouraged.
More recently, from 2014-2017, the group sponsored a Komedy Spelling Bea and Chili Cook-Off which brought the community together for cooking, fundraising, and laughter during the dreary month of January.
A reliable source of fundraising for all 58 years has been selling flowers for Brown County gardens. This year the group sold over $ 12,000 in spring flowers to be delivered the first week of May.
46 Our Brown County • May / June 2024