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Literacy Grants
The Literacy Grants program was initiated to mobilize members and resources of Phi Kappa Phi and the higher education community to champion literacy initiatives. Grants of up to $2,500 are available to Phi Kappa Phi chapters and individual members to fund ongoing literacy projects or to create new initiatives. The Society's commitment to the cause of literacy grows out of and is consistent with its mission, which was expanded to include "…and to engage the community of scholars in service to others."
2012 Literacy Grant Winners
John Blake, Austin Peay State University |
Books: Candy for the Mind! Volunteers from Austin Peay State University’s Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi will purchase hundreds of books to giveaway to local children during the campus’ Halloween trick-or-treating program, G.H.O.S.T. (Great Halloween Options for Safe Trick-or-Treating), sponsored by the campus Student Government Association. |
Deanna Caveny, College of Charleston |
College of Charleston Literacy Outreach Initiative Phi Kappa Phi members and Honors College students are trained to serve as partners with Title I elementary schools. These students work in classrooms alongside classroom teachers to implement a literacy based curriculum and act as mentors to the children over the course of the fall semester. At the end of the program, all of the elementary school children come to the College of Charleston campus for a visit. |
Gloria Cox, University of North Texas |
One University/One Community Computer Literacy Initiative |
Heather Davis, University of Kentucky |
Healing Through Reading Project The “Healing through Reading Project” is a nine month, self-care book club for women and their children who are survivors of domestic violence and living in a safe house. The project aims to assist women by improving their literacy skills and providing a space for residents to connect and discuss monthly book topics that include domestic violence, unhealthy relationships, isolation and self-empowerment. In addition, children’s books are provided for residents to read to their children. |
Debra Hailey, Louisiana State University |
Reading on the River On the downtown riverfront in historic Natchitoches, La., learning activities are provided under eight different canopies that parents and children are invited to rotate through during the day. Teachers and other professionals use developmentally-appropriate teaching methods to engage children and their parents in early literacy activities that entertain and educate. Children then select one or two books to take home. |
Paulette Harris, Augusta State University |
GED Health Literacy The GED Health Literacy initiative will help at least 20 young moms with special needs as they prepare for the General Educational Development (GED) test. Volunteers from Augusta State University will provide twice weekly tutorial sessions and small group question/answer periods that address health literacy issues of special value to the young moms. |
Donna McAleer, University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
Rebel Reading Room |
Melissa Melancon, University of Louisiana at Monroe |
Financial Literacy: Practice and Application College professors will teach six 2-hours sessions on financial literacy to low-income high school students and their parents. Lessons will include information on developing a budget, managing debt, reconciling a bank statement, evaluating a credit report, and more. Students will utilize financial literacy software to enhance computer literacy skills as well. |
Linda Munchausen, Southeastern Louisiana University |
Literacy and Blessings in a Backpack The Southeastern Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi partnered with the local Kiwanis Club and Southeastern’s Kappa Delta Pi, Zeta Kappa Chapter to support a Blessings in a Backpack program at Woodland Park Elementary Magnet School. The Literacy Grant will be used to purchase children’s books to be included in the backpacks and loaned each weekend to the children and their parents with the intention of encouraging reading at home. |
Phillip Quisenberry, McKendree University |
Understanding Our Past and Impacting Our Future: Using Women’s History Literacy Kits to Celebrate Extraordinary Ordinary Women The initiative promotes cultural literacy by helping students understand the challenges women have faced throughout history. McKendree University students conduct a women's history literacy kit program at Lebanon Grade School in rural Lebanon, Ill. Students create children's books with themes of women’s history while other students will create classroom bulletin board displays that provide an overview of the suffrage movement, reproductions of newspaper articles from the era, DVDs, and the abovementioned children’s books. |
Janeanne Rockwell-Kincanon, Western Oregon University |
Sowing the Seeds for a Home Library “Sowing the Seeds” will provide books for children served by Family Building Blocks (FBB), a non-profit child abuse prevention program in Salem, Ore., that serves families with children ages 6-weeks to 5-years. FBB aims to place up to 10 books in the homes of approximately 600 children as a way to support early literacy, language development and readiness for school. |
Conway Saylor, The Citadel |
Young Authors Telling Our Stories: Past, Present and Future The Young Authors program engages college undergraduates in mentoring older elementary students in Title I and low- achieving partner schools through an 8-10 week journey of “telling their story”- past, present, and future. In the process of exploring their family and community histories, personal strengths and aspirations, and possible college/career options, students learn and exercise diverse literacy skills including reading, oral and written communication, online research, planning, editing, and using technology. |
Kathleen Tice, The University of Texas at Arlington |
Open Door Preschool Project: Bringing Books to English Language Learners. As part of a service learning project, students at the University of Texas at Arlington will read aloud weekly to children who attend who attend the Open Door Preschool that serves low-income English language learners. The project takes place during two semesters, and it includes a family literacy event where each child is given a tote bag that holds the books that were read aloud. The books will contain Phi Kappa Phi book plates, and classroom teachers will continue reading aloud from a classroom set of the books. |
Celeste Wouden, Brigham Young University |
Promoting Literacy for Windsor Elementary’s Underprivileged Children The Brigham Young University chapter of Phi Kappa Phi presents age-appropriate books along with a bookmark and hand-written letter from a Phi Kappa Phi member to local, low-income elementary school students upon graduation from an after school tutoring program. |
Literacy Grants
Deadlines
- April 1, 2013
