Favorite Podcasts? Share Yours Today!

Happy International Podcast Day™! The Sept. 30 international event is an opportunity to connect with other podcast enthusiasts and start a conversation about the power of podcasts.

Do you enjoying listening to podcasts? Is there one that makes you look forward to each new episode? If so, we invite you to share your favorite podcasts in our online community—other members have already started sharing theirs. Whether it's a light-hearted broadcast filled with laughter or an in-depth look at a topic that really makes you think, you can click here to share your favorites now.

The Society's exclusive members-only online community is the perfect place to kick back, join a conversation and find a new podcast to love. Look for the blue "Reply" button on each post to respond and share your favorites with other Phi Kappa Phi members.

The community is available to active members only, and you will be required to log in with your Phi Kappa Phi credentials. For login assistance, email webmaster@phikappaphi.org.

Not active? Click here to renew your membership and gain access to this exclusive benefit.

 

ΦΚΦ Member Spotlight – September 2020

A native of Glenelg, Maryland, Daine Van De Wall grew up near the United States Naval Academy and was drawn to the midshipmen uniform throughout his childhood. After learning about ROTC opportunities from a neighbor, Daine enrolled in the University of Florida in 2015 and began his ROTC experience. “I thrived in an environment with like-minded individuals who pushed themselves to get better every single day,” he said.

Seeing his potential, an ROTC professor recommended Daine apply to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He was accepted and was initiated into Phi Kappa Phi during his junior year. In 2019, he was selected to serve as First Captain, the highest-ranking cadet in charge of more than 4,400 cadets. Through this role, Daine influenced a variety of aspects, including sexual assault and harassment prevention, mental health awareness and public outreach. In May 2020, Daine was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and graduated with a bachelor's degree in systems and decision sciences in June.

In addition to numerous awards and scholarships, Daine was named a 2020 Rhodes Scholar and will continue his education at Magdalen College at the University of Oxford where he plans to study global governance, diplomacy and public policy. Upon completion of his studies, Daine will serve as an infantry officer and hopes to combine his military background with his interests in conflict studies to help shape U.S. foreign policy in the future.

Let’s get to know Daine!

1. Why did you accept the invitation to join Phi Kappa Phi?
   I joined the Society to connect with thousands of civilian scholars that have similar interests in areas of foreign policy and international relations. My membership is a constant reminder to continue to strive for excellence through consistent intellectual inquiry and immersion in a community of like-minded individuals.


2. What are your hobbies?
   I have a passion for fitness, reading and all outdoor activities. I greatly enjoy the community aspect of CrossFit and try to set aside an hour each day for personal reading. I spend my weekends hiking, skiing, boating and exploring.


3. What is the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
   I woke up one morning during a summer break and decided I would travel to Eastern Europe and backpack for two weeks.


4. What was your first job?
   My first job was working as a cook at an Italian restaurant in my home town. It taught me how to cook and the importance of customer service. I worked during the school year, so it also helped me develop a strong work ethic, balancing school and work commitments.


5. What’s your favorite meal?
   I absolutely love all types of sushi. Since my parents are immigrants from the Netherlands, our family created the tradition of gathering on Thanksgiving to make sushi.


6. If you could live in any historical decade, what would it be?
   I would live in the 1940s. World War II and the years following saw some of the most incredible military minds. These people not only shaped the course of the war but also decisions for international organizations that still shape our world today.


7. What is the greatest tv show of all time?
   I absolutely love Walker Texas Ranger. I used to watch this every Saturday morning with my brother and sister. Chuck Norris played a steadfast, public servant who cared deeply about his community.


8. Where would you want to live if you could live anywhere in the world?
   I would love to spend some time living in the Netherlands. This would allow me to see friends and family and brush up on my Dutch.


9. What’s your favorite time of year?
   My favorite holiday is the Fourth of July. It is a great excuse to get friends and family together, and I always find patriotism and love of country brings all Americans together.


10. What is your favorite sports team?
    My favorite team to watch is the Army Football team. Being from an academy, we are always the underdog when it comes to sporting events. I love watching fellow academy players on the field, knowing that they are not only football players but leaders and public servants.

To learn more about Daine and connect, visit his profile within our online member community, here.

Is there someone you would like to see in the spotlight? Send your nomination to engagement@phikappaphi.org and be sure to include basic information for the nomination.

 

 

Literacy Spotlight: REAL Talk! A Book Club About Race, Education and Language

As National Literacy Month nears its end, we're shining the spotlight on one last project helped by a Phi Kappa Phi 2020 Literacy Grant – REAL Talk! A Book Club About Race, Education and Language.

REAL Talk (Race, Education, and Language Talk) is an international, intergenerational book club for teachers. Project partners Kathryn Accurso and Brenda Muzeta work to pair teachers across North America – one new, one experienced – and let members meet virtually around a book that highlights issues of racial and linguistic diversity in schools and society. The teachers are challenged to make action-oriented connections to their practice and report back.

Through the program, REAL Talk hopes to provide a learning environment where new teachers can grow their racial literacy while developing their classroom practice. Since members from the same school can continue conversations outside the book club, it also supports local mentoring relationships.

"As teacher educators, we know that new literacies allow people to participate differently in their social worlds. With Phi Kappa Phi’s support of the REAL Talk project, we hope to see more and more teachers develop new knowledge, literacies and relationships in pursuit of anti-racist teaching that does less harm than pedagogies of the past," said Accurso.

The project's vision hopes to push individual comfort zones and take steps toward positive change in classrooms and communities.

And as advice to other Society members contemplating literacy initiatives in their communities and beyond, Accurso offers encouragement. "We hope other Phi Kappa Phi members and prospective members will keep on imagining the literacies we need for a better society and apply for this grant along the way."

Want a reminder when applications open for 2021? Sign up here!

Learn more about our Literacy Grants at http://www.phikappaphi.org/literacy.

Member Mentions – September 2020

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi's international community is a unique blend of students, academicians, and corporate and civic leaders from all fields of endeavor. Membership in Phi Kappa Phi recognizes and rewards academic success. That recognition doesn’t end after initiation. From their time in school to their professional career, Society members’ hard work continues to pay off and be acknowledged.

Phi Kappa Phi would like to congratulate these members on their recent achievements:

Dylan DiGrazia (State University of New York at Oswego) earned the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence, the highest student honor in the SUNY system. The chemistry major has been offered teaching assistant positions at multiple doctoral programs, with a future goal of becoming a professor.

Logan Drake (Angelo State University), a junior mechanical engineering major, has been selected for the U.S. Department of Defense's 2020 Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation Scholarship-for-Service Program. Drake is the first ASU student to be chosen as a SMART Scholar.

Molly Gerrish (University of Wisconsin-River Falls) received the 2020 Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award for the College of Education and Professional Studies at the UW-River Falls. This is the top award in the college.

Navodit Paudel (University of Mississippi) has been inducted into UM’s Hall of Fame, one of the highest honors afforded to students at the school. Selections are based on outstanding contributions in all aspects of campus life.

Emily Paul (University of Findlay) was awarded a Findlay Town and Campus Scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year. Findlay Town and Campus supports the students of the university by donating their time, talents and resources.

Do you have an accomplishment you’d like to share? Email your member news to news@phikappaphi.org to be considered for inclusion.

Literacy Spotlight: Tele-coaching for Home Early Literacy Practices

Throughout September, Phi Kappa Phi has celebrated National Literacy Month by taking a closer look at projects supported by our Literacy Grants. This third installment focuses on a tele-coaching program based out of the Autism, Pediatric Language and Literacy Lab at the University of South Alabama.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, in 2019, only 28% of Alabama fourth graders were reading at or above proficiency. Project partners Brenda Beverly and Victoria Henbest are leading the plan to create a parent-training program conducted via tele-coaching to facilitate activities in the home that foster literacy for preschoolers.

Though the planning began before the pandemic, the remote aspect of the project worked well with the hopes to keep families safe in their homes while participating. Families will be chosen from the Gulf Coast region with extra effort to reach out to parents of children from lower income households.

Beverly and Henbest recently shared their thoughts in a joint email interview:

Q: Has the pandemic forced any changes to your approach?

A: Although the parent coaching component was planned to be conducted remotely, the assessments to track the children’s skills would have been conducted in person. Now, we are learning new methods for remote assessment.

Q: How do you expect the families will adjust to the online-based approach?

A: Given advances in technology and the technological skills of young adults, we anticipate a positive response to the remote delivery platform. We are excited to send the materials to the participating families by mail and to interact with them via live FaceTime meetings online and asynchronously via video recordings. Text messaging is likely to be our go-to communication for weekly coaching.

Q: Might the implementation be easier now that we have all become more comfortable with remote communications?

A: Very much so. In fact, we are excited to use a free specialized app for smart phones to communicate with our participating families. All correspondence between project personnel and the families will be through this app which is capable of exchanging video and audio files and basic text messaging. Most importantly, the app allows for message exchanges to be encrypted to ensure that all data that are exchanged remain confidential and are only accessible to the participants and project personnel.

Q: Could this project help USA/APLL long-term with determining what works best with remote learning?

A: Absolutely! We will be administering language and literacy assessments to the children live and on-line. Doing so will afford us a better understanding regarding which measures are more compatible with online delivery. This is not only important information to have as we move other projects forward in the Autism, Pediatric Language and Literacy Lab at the University of South Alabama, but this knowledge will be helpful for clinicians. We are enthusiastic about learning what works and doesn’t work with remote assessment so that we can share this information with our students and colleagues who are providing teleservices to children with language disorders.

Want a reminder when applications open for 2021? Sign up here!

Learn more about our Literacy Grants at http://www.phikappaphi.org/literacy.

New Member Benefit: LifeLock

The Society is excited to announce that we’ve added LifeLock to our member benefit offerings allowing members to save 35% off their first year of LifeLock membership!

In today’s connected world, data breaches are on the rise, and it can be hard to keep track of your personal information. Criminals could use breached information to commit identity theft, such as taking out a payday loan in your name or selling your information on the dark web. LifeLock can see certain threats you could miss if you are only monitoring your credit, and they will alert you if they find something that could be suspicious.

Plus, if you become a victim of identity theft, a U.S.-based Identity Restoration Specialist dedicated to your case will work to fix it from start to finish, all backed by LifeLock’s Million Dollar Protection™ Package.

What are you waiting for? It only takes minutes to enroll. Start your protection today!

Questions? Email Jamie Chapman, membership director.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies at Age 87

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Cornell University), associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, died Sept. 18, 2020, of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer. She was 87.

Ginsburg, a native of Brooklyn, New York, earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, attended Harvard Law School, and received a bachelor of laws degree from Columbia Law School.

Born March 15, 1933, Joan Ruth Bader was the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants, Nathan and Celia.

Ginsburg was inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi as a student at Cornell University. While there she met Martin D. Ginsburg, and they wed shortly after her graduation in 1954. The two moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where she began working in a Social Security office. Their first child, Jane, was born in 1955.

Ruth followed Martin’s lead by joining him in law school at Harvard in 1956. There she was one of only nine women at the school. She once wrote, “When I attended Harvard Law School, there was no space in the dormitories for women; women were not admitted to faculty club dining tables; one could invite one’s father, but not one’s wife or mother, to the Law Review banquet; the old periodical room at Lamont Library was closed to women; law firms could use the school’s placement facilities though they would engage no women.”

Upon Martin’s graduation, he took a position with a law firm in New York, necessitating Ruth’s transfer to Columbia Law School. There she graduated as a Kent Scholar and tied for first in the class of 1959. The couple’s second child, James, was born in 1965.

Ruth Ginsburg’s career included serving as clerk to the Honorable Edmund Palmieri, Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; working as a research associate and associate director of the Columbia Law School Project on International Procedure; teaching as a professor of law at Rutgers University School of Law and Columbia School of Law; and serving as the American Civil Liberties Union’s General Counsel. In 1980, she was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by President Jimmy Carter. In 1993, she took the office of associate justice of the Supreme Court following a nomination by President Bill Clinton.

In 2009, Forbes named Ginsburg on of the world’s "100 Most Powerful Women," and in 2015, Time named her one of the "100 Most Influential People." In Time’s tribute, then-fellow Associate Justice Antonin Scalia shared, “her opinions are always thoroughly considered, always carefully crafted and almost always correct (which is to say we sometimes disagree). That much is apparent for all to see. What only her colleagues know is that her suggestions improve the opinions the rest of us write, and that she is a source of collegiality and good judgment in all our work.”

Ginsburg’s hobbies included opera, horseback riding, and golfing. According to the New York Times, a friend once remarked that Ginsburg, “who is left-handed but learned to play with right-handed clubs, played golf as she decided cases: aiming left, swinging right and hitting down the middle.”

Literacy Spotlight: Little Free Laundromat Libraries

As Phi Kappa Phi continues its celebration of National Literacy Month, let's take a closer look at another 2020 Literacy Grant recipient – Little Free Laundromat Libraries for Southwestern PA.

Adults and children using laundromat services often live in low-income areas with a lack of resources for food, clothing and books. Schools and libraries in these areas are often underfunded, further limiting access. Project partners Maria Barefoot and Sara Parme, at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, sought to address the opportunity gaps in the community by placing free books for a variety of ages in laundromat facilities.

Because patrons of laundromats tend to visit regularly and spend hours waiting, their accompanying children are often left with time on their hands. Using the laundromats as a point of distribution for free books to these families seemed ideal.

Through book donations and purchases of high-quality used books, the Little Free Laundromat Libraries throughout the Johnstown and Monroeville areas in Pennsylvania will be stocked with everything from early readers and children's classics to young adult and popular titles for all ages. Once established inside the laundromats, plaques will provide instructions letting customers know that the books are free for the taking, and stickers inside the books will show the support from Phi Kappa Phi.

After earning the Literacy Grant, Barefoot shared, "As graduate students and librarians, we were so grateful to Phi Kappa Phi for giving us the funding to start our little free laundromat library initiative. We had been planning to set up our little free laundromat libraries, but lacked the funds needed to get started. This grant has allowed us to jump-start our literacy efforts in our local communities."

Click here to learn more about our Literacy Grants, and find out how you can apply.

Photo provided by Maria Barefoot and Sara Parme – Stickers showing support from a Phi Kappa Phi Literacy Grant are being placed inside donated books which will stock the Little Free Laundromat Libraries in Pennsylvania.

Up for Discussion: Hindsight

We have been excited to see the many responses to the Up for Discussion feature that first appeared in the summer 2020 Phi Kappa Phi Forum and we’re ready to get your feedback on our winter 2020 theme—hindsight.

The year 2020 has been an eventful one, to say the least. What has been your most vivid personal memory of the year so far?

We’d love to hear from you. Share your response to our question by replying to this discussion in our online member community Link. We'll publish a sampling of member responses in the print edition of the magazine. Responses of three or four sentences are recommended. We look forward to reading what you have to say!

The community is available to active members only, and you will be required to log in with your Phi Kappa Phi credentials. For login assistance, email webmaster@phikappaphi.org.

Society Seeks Volunteers for Committee Service

Every biennium Phi Kappa Phi depends upon the good work of more than 100 volunteers to serve on as many as 12 national committees. Most committees are comprised of five individuals, including the chair, who represent the diversity of Society membership.

Committee work typically involves conference calls and in some cases may require travel to the national office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at such time as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted; until such time all meetings will be conducted virtually. Expenses are paid according to Society policies.

This is a wonderful opportunity to get involved on a national level with Phi Kappa Phi and to network with colleagues from around the country.

Click here to review the list of committees and descriptions of their work.

Members must be active (dues-current) and initiated in 2015 or earlier to serve on a committee. The deadline for submissions is Sept. 30.

Submit a Committee Service Volunteer Form today.

Seeking Success Discount Increased

We’re excited to announce Seeking Success has increased the member discount on their résumé writing packages from $75 to $100!

Partnered with Phi Kappa Phi since 2015, Seeking Success can help you rise above the competition with a résumé that is focused on your target, complies with modern screening apps, and promotes your value through accomplishments. They will ask you the right questions to develop a full set of career-related documents, including a résumé and cover letter, plus new language for your LinkedIn profile.

To learn more about the services offered, visit www.SeekingSuccess.com/PKP. Use code PKP2015 to access the exclusive Phi Kappa Phi member page. You will also need to use this code to apply the $100 discount to your order. As a bonus, members will receive a free copy of the pocketbook Interview with Purpose when they purchase a Seeking Success résumé writing package.

Here are a few more resources available to our members from Seeking Success:

NEW Résumés for Recent Grads | This free ebook walks recent graduates through the sections of a résumé and provides suggestions for content, presentation and formatting.

Keeping the Faith: Job Searching in a Pandemic | Are you struggling in your job search? This blog reviews how to cope with the current situation as it relates to your career.

Video Interviews: What You Need to Know | This blog reviews video interview types, settings, logistics and more.

Free Résumé Self Assessment App | If you have ten minutes, you have time to evaluate your résumé and gather suggestions for improvement.

Questions? Email Jamie Chapman, membership director.

Literacy Spotlight: The Student Success Center Project

Happy International Literacy Day! As part of a larger month-long celebration, Phi Kappa Phi embraces the event's goal of drawing attention to the importance of literacy. The Society will devote the month to literacy awareness, including shining a spotlight on some of our 2020 Literacy Grant recipients.

The first project we're highlighting is The Student Success Center Project: Helping Every Child Succeed Educationally led by Dr. Liberatus J. Rwebugisa, of the University of Nevada, Reno. Inaugurated in 2019, the SSC Project fosters student success in rural northwest Tanzania. As a two-time Literacy Grant recipient in both 2019 and 2020, the purpose of the project is to help primary school students build and sustain strong academic skills in language, math and science through access to free books and tutoring/mentoring. The grant also helped purchase textbooks and renovate the library at the Kagondo A Primary School.

To begin the tutoring portion of the program, volunteers worked with small groups of students over the course of several months. While pre-test scores showed a 31% passing rate among students, a follow-up test showed a drastic improvement with a 98% passing rate. Thanks to the success, the project was expanded to include a wider range of grade levels with older students returning to tutor younger ones.

The grants also helped fund the purchase of 125 books and provided supplies needed to renovate the school building and library. More than 70 volunteers, including community members and students, worked on the construction and renovation.

Rwebugisa's project report to Phi Kappa Phi states, "We believe that talent is universal, but opportunity is not." Phi Kappa Phi is proud to support this project and many more to increase literacy opportunities and initiatives inspired by our members.

Click here to learn more about our Literacy Grants today.

Photos provided by Liberatus Rwebugisa – Ongoing pictures of the school building, from left, show the progress before, during and after the renovations funded in part by two Phi Kappa Phi Literacy Grants.

Free: Secrets to Grad School Admissions Webinar

Getting into grad school isn't going to be easy. As the number of applicants at top schools rises, so do the scores. How will you stand out? Let our partner The Princeton Review show you exactly what it takes to get into graduate school with a free webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 8 p.m. E.T.

The Secrets to Grad School Admissions webinar will cover expert tips and insights about exactly what it takes to get into graduate school, along with a special offer from Princeton Review. Topics covered will include:

• Insight into the admissions process (GPA, test scores, extracurriculars)
• Entrance exams tips
• Advice on how to improve your chances of gaining admission to the school of your choice
• A question and answer session

Register today to reserve your spot! Can't attend the live webinar? Register and a recording will be emailed to you.

Don’t forget! Phi Kappa Phi members, friends, and family can always save 15% on The Princeton Review courses and tutoring for the MCAT®, LSAT®, GMAT®, GRE®, and more. Click here to access the appropriate promotional code and enroll online.

Questions? Email Jamie Chapman, membership director.

Pin It to Win It: Get Free Gear!

Have you had your eye on a certain piece of Phi Kappa Phi merchandise? Maybe a brand new laptop bag or cozy sweatshirt could start your fall off right. Participate in our Pin to Win contest for your chance to win the item of your choice!

Between Sept. 2 and Oct. 16, simply follow Phi Kappa Phi on Pinterest and pin your favorite merchandise item from our "ΦKΦ Merch" board. One winner—selected at random—will receive the item they have pinned.

How to Enter:

1. Follow Phi Kappa Phi on Pinterest.
2. Select your favorite item on our "ΦKΦ Merch" board.
3. Repin the item between Sept. 2 and Oct. 16.

Only one entry per user will be accepted, and you must be an active Phi Kappa Phi member to enter.

Click here for official rules and details. Happy pinning!

 

Chapter Update – September 2020

The September edition of the Chapter Update focuses on scholarships presented to students at two chapters in California and Ohio. These chapters also award scholarships in honor of former officers who inspired a love of learning through their donations and commitment to serving Phi Kappa Phi.

Your chapter can establish a commitment to service by participating in the Fall Service Project sponsored by the Council of Students. Don’t forget to register your chapter service project by Sept. 30!

SJSU Awards Two Chapter Scholarships

Chapter 67 at San Jose State University in San Jose, California, awarded two scholarships to student members this past spring.

Taranjeet Rathore, a nursing student, was awarded the Gus Lease Scholarship. The $2,500 scholarship is awarded to a second semester junior and named after former chapter president, the late Dr. Gus Lease, who proudly served his chapter for more than 40 years.

Gurpreet Klar, a chemical engineering student, was awarded the Anna Lambourne Scholarship. The $2,000 scholarship was made possible due to a bequest received from long standing Phi Kappa Phi member Anna Lambourn.

In addition to the chapter’s scholarship opportunities, each spring the chapter hosts meet-and-greet events to share information about the Society and discuss the benefits of joining, even providing a special presentation for international students. The events proved to be a success with more than 200 students in attendance.

“What is really special about the ceremony is that we first play a recording of Gus singing the alma mater,” said Dr. Susan McClory, chapter president. Lease sang his rendition of the alma mater “Hail, Spartans Hail” at initiation ceremonies for many years and performed as a vocal soloist at 65 commencement ceremonies.

For more information about the chapter at SJSU or their scholarships, visit sjsu.edu/phikappaphi.

YSU Awards Five Chapter Scholarships to Students

Chapter 143 at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio, presented five scholarships to students during the spring 2020 semester.

Jacob Tomory was awarded the John R. Loch Scholarship Award. The $1,000 award is presented to the chapter's national fellowship nominee. Tomory currently attends Yale Law School and is a 2020 Phi Kappa Phi Marcus L. Urann Fellowship recipient.

Noor Khalayleh was awarded the Mavrigian-Grim Scholarship Award, named in honor of Dr. Gus Mavrigian and the late Dr. John Grim, who served as active YSU chapter leaders. The $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a member who intends to pursue graduate work. Khalayleh is currently attending graduate school at The Ohio State University.

Maddie Stears, a biology and pre-med major entering her second year at YSU was awarded the Gratia Murphy First-Year Award. The $500 award was established in 1994 and named in honor of Dr. Gratia Murphy, a founding member of the Phi Kappa Phi chapter at YSU. Applicants must write a 500-word essay on what they believe to be the meaning and purpose of education.

Lauren Rager, a junior anthropology major was awarded the 2020 Service Scholarship.The $250 scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students who have completed a minimum of 30 to 60 credit hours. Although applicants are not required to be members, they are required to submit a 500-word essay on their most meaningful service activity and include how the service activity impacted them and those who benefitted from the activity. Rager completed over 2,000 hours of community service during her first two years at YSU.

YSU also presented a $500 Merit Award to the runner up in the chapter's campus Fellowship competition. The 2020 Merit Award was presented to Christopher Julian who is currently pursuing a graduate degree at Bowling Green State University.

In addition to the scholarships presented this year, the chapter has an additional scholarship for research. The Research Scholarship provides undergraduate students who have completed 60 to 90 credit hours a $250 award. Applicants are not required to be members, however, they must write a 150-word abstract and be endorsed by a faculty member or research collaborator. This award was not presented during 2020 due to campus closures from COVID-19.

Got News?

Please share your chapter news, events and service projects with Michelle Lowery, chapter development director, so they can be included in future chapter updates and shared on social media. Pictures with members are encouraged!

Photos submitted by Susan McClory – From left are Taranjeet Rathore and Gurpreet Klar.

Additional photos available at this link.

Phi Kappa Phi Celebrates National Literacy Month

September is National Literacy Month, and Tuesday, Sept. 8 marks the celebration of International Literacy Day. The worldwide event's goal is to draw attention to the importance of literacy and build a more literate society.

As part of Phi Kappa Phi's ongoing support of education and lifelong learning, the Society will devote the entire month to literacy awareness. Want to join us in our month-long celebration? Here are some ways to get involved:

• Follow our blog as we highlight various literacy projects from our 2020 Literacy Grant recipients.
• Connect with us on social media to share your literacy initiatives with us using #PKPLovesLiteracy.
• Join the conversation in our online community to tell us about literacy initiatives championed by you or your chapter.
• Sign up to receive a reminder when our Literacy Grant applications open for next year.
• Consider a literacy-based project such as a book drive for your chapter’s Fall Service Project.
• Read about our 2020 Literacy Grant recipients and learn about their projects.

International Literacy Day was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization as a way to promote awareness about and find solutions for illiteracy. Since its creation in 1966, the day has been celebrated internationally each year.

We look forward to celebrating literacy and our love of learning all month long, and we hope you’ll join us!