Robbie Page Story
History of Robbie Page
Five-year-old Robbie Page, son of the fourth Tri Sigma National President Mary Hastings Holloway Page, Alpha and Omega chapters, often mentioned his wish to help children. He once said, "I want to have all my birthdays right now so I can grow up and help people".
In 1951, at age five, Robbie died of bulbar polio, a devastating disease with no cure at the time. To honor Robbie, Tri Sigma members established the Robbie Page Memorial Fund (RPM) to fund polio research projects, including the Salk vaccine trials, and in 1954 the Robbie Page Memorial Fund became the official philanthropy of Tri Sigma.
When a cure was found for polio, the RPM Fund continued moving forward to fund a cutting-edge therapy called "therapeutic play." This treatment evolved to become one of the most important types of children's therapy to help children cope with the treatments and outcomes of their illnesses.
The Foundation helps hundreds of children annually through the RPM Fund, which supports local and national RPM grants, including training fellowships at Children's Medical Center Dallas and NC Children's Hospital-UNC Chapel Hill.
RPM Grant Application
RPM Grants are awarded annually to local therapeutic play programs. Chapters and individual alumnae endorse programs within their communities to serve children all across the country. You can learn more about the application process here. For questions or additional support, email shaven@trisigma.org.
Sigma serves children through the Robbie Page Memorial Fund. For more information on giving opportunities to support play therapy, contact Shelly Bateman at sbateman@trisigma.org.