2024 Literacy Grant Recipients

Phi Kappa Phi is proud to present the 2024 Phi Kappa Phi Literacy Grant recipients. 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.

Joseph Cheatle

Establishing a Community/Writing Center Partnership

Establishing a Community/Writing Center Partnership aims to enhance literacy opportunities for local residents by establishing a Community Writing Center in collaboration with the public library. This center is dedicated to improving the lives of community members by providing a space where they can receive feedback, encouragement, and collaboration on various personal, academic, creative, and professional projects. It embodies the library’s vision of accessibility, community, and knowledge. The Community Writing Center will offer tutoring services, workshops, and other literary events.

Benjamin Conradt

Lead to Read KC Reading For Life Author Visit Program

The Lead to Read KC Reading For Life Author Visit Program provides author visits and interactive book read-alouds to students attending high-need elementary schools in Kansas City. At the author visits, students learn mental health and wellness techniques that they can put into action immediately. The funds from Phi Kappa Phi will provide 250 children with new books with a social-emotional learning message, distributed in conjunction with the author visits. Having a brand new book to take home supports the students’ social-emotional learning and encourages reading at home.

Alina Dam

Richardson Adult Literacy Center (RALC)

The Richardson Adult Literacy Center was founded in 1990 to empower adult ESL (English as a Second Language) students in the Richardson and greater Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in Texas and elevate their language skills. RALC offers a variety of classes and activities each year to further its mission of promoting English literacy, professional development, and cultural awareness. There is a high demand and need for adult ESL classes in Richardson; the Phi Kappa Phi Literacy Grant will be put towards 60 textbook/workbook bundles for students and other supplies. These funds will help RALC in its goals to increase enrollment capacity and support more RALC students to continue on their English language journey.

Megan Eppleman

Handwriting Without Tears

Handwriting Without Tears is a formative literacy program for preschool children used to develop the skills needed for entering Kindergarten. The St. James Lutheran Church Church Early Learning Center provides support to families, regardless of income, according to Pennsylvania Department of Education and Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards. The project will provide the resources to teach phonics, handwriting, and motor skills in a fun way, creating a love of learning to start children's educational careers.

Beatriz Gomez Acuna

My Voice Matters: a Poetry Workshop for High School Students Exploring Identity, Belonging and Social Justice

This My Voice Matter project seeks to establish a partnership between Fenton High School Department of World Languages and Elmhurst University Department of World Languages. The primary objective of this partnership is to advance the literacy skills of adolescent students in preparation for college readiness. The project targets 40 high school students (enrolled in grades 11-12) who are not meeting the literacy standards expected at their grade. The students will attend an all-day seminar at Elmhurst University to celebrate National Poetry Month and will collaborate in diverse activities related to poetry appreciation and creation.

Jennifer Hill

Biliteracy in Action: Stepping Stones for Success

Biliteracy in Action: Stepping Stones for Success is a literacy initiative to help struggling readers grow in their skills through positive connections with reading. The library strives to create an environment that fosters a love of learning and empowers students for future success through a wide array of engaging activities and a strong biliterate collection aimed at supporting growing readers. The project will improve the biliterate collection with high interest, appealing titles in both Spanish and English that help encourage and develop reading skills; create better access to these titles with browsing bins; and host enjoyable events that will actively engage student reading.

Sarah Hogan

Add a Book!

Add a Book! aims to bolster the efforts of the Jackson County, Iowa Campaign for Grade Level Reading making it easier to meet one of the organization's goals which is access to books. Through this grant books and fliers outlining reading strategies will be added to three existing community efforts. During visits to the satellite Women, Infant, and Children clinic families will be served and receive a book and flier at well child appointments at medical clinics. Lastly, a book will be given to impoverished families receiving a bed from the Jackson County chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

Lisabeth Kissner

Starlight Storytime

Starlight Storytime is an immersive literacy initiative intended to help the Plattsburgh, New York community fill ELA and STEM literacy gaps for their young learners during critical formative  years.  To realize this, the monthly program will welcome Pre-K through 2nd-grade children and their families into the Northcountry Planetarium to view an astronomy-themed picture book displayed on the dome while a SUNY Plattsburgh student reads the text aloud.  All literacy events will be accompanied by either a short planetarium star show or a hands-on activity in the adjacent astronomy classroom.  Each household represented will depart with a copy of the feature book to encourage self-motivation for reading and learning, strengthen familial relationships and build a strong and successful Plattsburgh community.

Hannah Kuhn

Poetic Justice: Writing Classes in Oregon's Women's Prison

In partnership with Poetic Justice, the writing program at Coffee Creek women’s prison in Oregon offers women opportunities to learn the power of writing, find their voice, heal their wounds, and discover their own personal growth. The writing program holds space to process trauma and rewrite personal narratives to transform the story of incarceration. Program participants receive a published anthology of poems written during the workshops and present their work at a graduation poetry reading.

Jennifer Mann

Refugees Pursuing Education And Community Excellence

Refugees Pursuing Education And Community Excellence is a student-led critical literacy coalition of young adults from refugee backgrounds who use storytelling to empower refugee and immigrant youth and move educators towards more equitable educational practices. The central aim of R_PEACE is to reduce educational barriers, improve educational experiences, and increase college enrollment for refugee-background students. Through R_PEACE, students who were once overlooked will have opportunities to share their experiences and ideas in schools, universities, community organizations, and with leaders of school districts.

Loyce Pailen

Enhancing Cybersecurity Literacy in the K-5 Arena

The Enhancing Cybersecurity Literacy in the K-5 Arena initiative takes positive measures to impact the severe cybersecurity worker shortage in the nation. Super Cybersecurity Grandma children's book activities work towards narrowing that gap by creating an awareness pipeline for cybersecurity careers and concepts. The initiatives goal is to reduce the gap by expanding children's knowledge about possible cyber professions and online safety. The project will aim to increase cyber literacy by donating cyber career and privacy-themed books and activities to elementary schools in Prince George's County. 

Liberatus J. Rwebugisa

Project RISE: Rising Incomes for Socioeconomic Empowerment

Project RISE: Rising Incomes for Socioeconomic Empowerment aims at transforming rural communities from poverty to prosperity in Tanzania. Project RISE deploys a Graduation Approach to enhance access to financial services for the rural extremely poor by combining the proven VSLA microfinance model with Credit with Education strategy. This holistic program integrates financial literacy, skills training, and capital support, providing the rural poor with the opportunity to build financial assets, improve their socioeconomic circumstances, and foster financial resilience and autonomy through savings and borrowing to start and sustain profitable income-generating activities. Project RISE innovatively expands the core VSLA Program, that Rwebugisa informally started in 2011 to foster financial inclusion and socioeconomic empowerment in rural Tanzania.

Tosh Tachino

Digital Literacy Program in Kenya’s Slum School

The Grapesyard Digital Literacy Project supports a slum school in Kenya by enhancing its digital literacy program, directly benefiting over 1,000 students and advancing the school’s goal of financial self-sustainability. Serving Korogocho, a densely populated slum, the organization offers education and various services. Since 2016, the digital literacy program has grown through computer donations and IT support, enabling the school to meet government mandates and improve student performance. The computer lab also supports a partnership with a Japanese medical university for health education and attracts fee-paying parents, contributing to the school’s self-sustainability through community services like computer classes and Internet access.