MICHELLE LOWERY, CHAPTER DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

A SEASON OF SERVICE: PHI KAPPA PHI’S NEW FALL SERVICE PROJECT PROMOTES ALL KINDS OF LITERACY WITH SCORES OF HELPING HANDS

Since its founding in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi has counted service to others as a core value. That legacy was extended and strengthened last year as the Society launched its Fall Service Project.

The initiative, inaugurated by the Society’s Council of created Living Docks, which promotes the growth of filter Students, encouraged chapters to focus on a community feeders at private and public locations along the Indian need with a literacy component and establish a partnership River Lagoon. with a community agency. Phi Kappa Phi members, along with students and Service projects envisioned by the council included community members who participated in the service project, adult literacy, environmental literacy, computer literacy, or learned about the damage humans have caused the lagoon financial literacy. and ways they can reduce their impact. Volunteers made “The Fall Service Project was a natural extension of the mats from oyster shells and mesh, which were deployed on very successful book drives led by student vice presidents local dock pilings in early November to propagate oyster for the past six years,” Society Executive Director Dr. Mary larvae and other filter feeders that remove impurities from Todd said. “It offered our chapters the opportunity to the water naturally. partner with and support a literacy-focused cause in their CHAPTER 306 AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY local communities and aptly reflected Phi Kappa Phi’s in Lexington, mission of excellence, engagement, and service.” Kentucky, visited Ashland Terrace Retirement Home to Chapters conducted their projects throughout October, assist with basic technology and cybersecurity. Ashland and concepts to execute the initiative proved varied and Terrace is a community-based, independent retirement creative. Here are a few examples of the projects undertaken center for older women that has provided housing to those by the Society’s chapters: in need since 1849. Ten Phi Kappa Phi members interacted with twelve CHAPTER 308 AT FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY in women who live in the home and offered assistance with Melbourne, Florida, partnered with the Indian River basic technology, such as setting up an iPad or learning how Lagoon Research Institute to help its Living Docks program. to block phone numbers. They also provided a pamphlet The institute is made up of engineers, scientists, with tips on how to deal with robocalls, mortgage scams, contractors, and students who are working and researching IRS scams, fake emails, and free or cheap product offers for in the field of coastal water quality remediation and medicine and electronics. restoration. Together with local community groups, it has

Opposite page: Officers from the Florida Institute of Technology chapter at the Living Docks service project in November include, from left, Caglar Erdogan, student vice president; Ryan Fink, student vice president; Dr. Heidi Hatfield Edwards, president; Donovan Southwell, student vice president; and Angelica Zamora-Duran, student vice president. Photo provided by Angelica Zamora-Duran.

22 PHI KAPPA PHI FORUM Extending its long history of

helping others, Phi Kappa Phi

devoted a fall to expanding

FALL SERVICE PROJECT literacy on many levels. Adult

literacy, computer literacy,

environmental literacy, and

STEM literacy were in the mix. AN EYE FOR SERVICE

Society chapters went beyond their campuses to engage local communities, affirming Phi Kappa Phi’s core mission of service to others. Along the way, chapter members learned a few things, too.

Residents took a six-question group quiz that included different scenarios and a discussion on how to respond in order to protect personal information. Retirement home staff said that participation for the program was higher than for previous activities.

CHAPTER 194 AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA in Mobile, Alabama, collaborated with several organizations to host Mega Musical Chairs on Oct. 4. The event was coordinated by Alpha Epsilon Delta in collaboration with Phi Kappa Phi and other project partners, including Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, Indian Student Association, Panhellenic Sororities, IFC fraternities, NPHC sororities, and more. Academic colleges and departments also participated in the event, along with twenty nonprofit organizations that hosted booths with activities. Local restaurants sold food to support the event. The goal was to foster an environment that encourages collaboration, education, and improved literacy for several causes. More than 450 people participated, and players were encouraged to talk to the person next to them about the cause they were representing, which included more than sixty-eight nonprofit organizations. Organizers said moving the event from campus to The Grounds in Mobile provided more access to the community and a more than 100% increase in ticket sales, with 695 tickets sold. Almost $9,500 was raised for charity, and more than 100 volunteers agreed to work the event. The winner of the 2019 Mega Musical Chairs competition chose to donate the funds to the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the University of South Alabama Children’s and Women’s Hospital.

CHAPTER 117 AT ALFRED UNIVERSITY in Alfred, New York, partnered with Tau Beta Pi – The Engineering Honor Society, to visit the Hornell Area Humane Society on Oct. 26. HAHS has been taking care of animals for more than 100 years and is committed to a no-kill philosophy while reducing animal cruelty and advancing the highest standards of animal welfare through education and advocacy. The shelter has sixteen dog runs with inside/outside access, a meet-and-greet room and training room for dogs, a free-roaming room for up to twelve cats, additional space for individually housed cats, and an isolation room for sick and injured cats. Phi Kappa Phi members provided support for the shelter by cleaning, feeding and playing with the animals. Caring for the animals also provided a mental break for the five students who visited the shelter. “There was a noticeable change in the entire group’s mood almost immediately upon entering the facility. After spending some time with the animals, students were more calm, relaxed, and smiley,” said Natalie Turco, student vice president. Members also learned about services provided by the staff and future renovations due to a grant awarded to HAHS by the Companion Animal Capital Fund.

24 PHI KAPPA PHI FORUM CHAPTER 342 AT METHODIST UNIVERSITY in Fayetteville, North Carolina, hosted a book drive during the month of October to promote literacy and a love of learning at the Margaret Willis Elementary School. The chapter also partnered with MU to send students to deliver the 238 books donated and help the children at Margaret Willis learn to read. The books were stamped with the Phi Kappa Phi emblem, and children were allowed to take the books home.

CHAPTER 302 AT MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY in Murray, Kentucky, partnered with their University Libraries to participate in Engineering Day, a one-day event for Girl Scouts on Oct. 26. The chapter’s goal was to promote the value of learning and the role organizations like Phi Kappa Phi play in academic development. Chapter members served as volunteers for the event, staffed an information table with Phi Kappa Phi materials, and discussed the importance of research and scholarly inquiry with over 150 girls whose ages ranged from 10 to 17 years old.

CHAPTER 246 AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY in Murphreesboro, Tennessee, sponsored a shift for its university's Habitat for Humanity build on Nov. 8. Six members, including two student vice presidents, went to the build site and assisted with various tasks to aid in the construction of the house Habitat for Humanity was building. “We hope our participation in this build will foster community in our Phi Kappa Phi chapter by having our members work together to accomplish a goal and display our devotion to serving our community,” Chapter President Dr. Philip Phillips said.

CHAPTER 172 AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA, in Dahlonega, Georgia, partnered with the Woody Gap School, one of the smallest K-12 schools in the mountains of Georgia. The chapter provided the book that each of the sixty-eight students in the school requested for Christmas. Chapter officers and members drove to Suches, Georgia, on Dec. 20 to deliver books to the school and meet with the children. The chapter received a Blue and Gold Award from the UNG Office of Student Involvement for “Outstanding Service to the Campus/Community” during the 2018-2019 academic year for establishing this service project with the Woody Gap School. Phi Kappa Phi’s mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others," a goal memorably advanced by the Society’s inaugural Fall Service Project. For more information on how to get involved with future Society volunteer opportunities, visit www.phikappaphi.org.

Opposite page from top: 1. Members of Phi Kappa Phi participate in Mega Musical Chairs at the University of South Alabama. Photo by Breahna Crosslin. 2. Erin Congdon; Natalie Turco, student vice president; Carissa Dopman; Amber Smith; and Ben Sennett. Photo by the Hornell Area Humane Society. 3. Books donated to the Margaret Willis Elementary School from the Phi Kappa Phi Book Drive. Photo by Keller Dixon. From top: 1. Ashley Ireland (far right, standing), dean of Murray State Libraries and president-elect of the Murray State Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, talks through the virtual reality rhythm video game Beat Saber with a player. Photo by Melony Shemberger. 2. Members from the Middle Tennessee State University chapter service project with Habitat for Humanity include, from left, Kaylee Lindgren, Spencer White, Jasmin Laurel (student vice president), Nathan Wahl, Beatriz Dedicatoria (student vice president), Conner Linkowski, and Tabatha Wadford. Photo by Cody Maness. 3. Members of the University of North Georgia chapter of Phi Kappa Phi present books to children at the Woody Gap School. Photo by Lynette Dyer.

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