Throughout September, Phi Kappa Phi has celebrated National Literacy Month by taking a closer look at initiatives supported by our Literacy Grants. 

Phi Kappa Phi members are known for their love of learning, and for member George Hendricks, the Phi Kappa Phi Literacy Grant has helped keep the Society's motto alive through his Love of Literacy Project. The project is a collaborative endeavor in which representatives from Methodist University and Hay Street United Methodist Church provide weekly one-on-one social and academic mentoring to students at Margaret Willis Elementary, a low-income school in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Funds from the grant provided increased opportunities for sharing the love of learning by expanding literacy skills through reading and writing. This year, the project welcomed dynamic children’s book author Aniesha Jackson to the school to present her book “Queen Kia’s 8-Step Guide to Friendships” in an all-school assembly. In addition to meeting Jackson, 320 K-5 students were able to partake in publishing a student-created book with a social-emotional focus and expand their classroom and home library materials. “This project promotes Phi Kappa Phi’s motto of 'Let the love of learning rule humanity.' We hope to continue to spread truth, virtue, justice, and love to others in our world," Hendricks said. It is MU’s hope that the program’s success can be replicated at other elementary schools in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and beyond.

When asked what the best part of Phi Kappa Phi is, Hendricks naturally responded with “their mission of 'let the love of learning rule humanity.' It is exciting to see our students at Methodist University live this mission as we change the world through the love of learning!"

Applications for the 2024 Literacy Grants open on Dec. 15, 2023. To learn more about the Literacy Grants program or to sign up for a reminder when applications open, click here.