February/March 2000 Issue

Members of St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley in St. Louis, Missouri, joined together last fall for “Masks, Mummy, Monet, and Modrian.” They toured the St. Louis Art Museum and investigated the Honors Study Topic, “The New Millennium: The Past As Prologue,” through multi-cultural expressions via mask, “Meet the Mummy,” and art displays.

On November 8, Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi, sponsored a day of storytelling for their Humanities Day Program. The production was entitled “Old Tales for New Times – A Celebration of American Folklore.” Its purpose was to examine the past as prologue through music and stories from a sixth generation University of Alabama English professor born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains. One presentation was offered for fourth through sixth-graders, and a second was hosted for high-school students and community members.

LEADERSHIP LESSONS
North Lake College in Irving, Texas, was the site of a Texas Regional Hallmark Essay Workshop. The workshop was open to all members of Texas District II and featured helpful information and tips on how to put together a “terrific” hallmark essay. Each participating chapter was charged a nominal $10 fee for the workshop, which included lunch.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College in Kalamazoo, Michigan, hosted a web site workshop as part of a program called “Get Wired!” The aim of the workshop was to assist every chapter in the Michigan Region in getting a chapter web site up and running by International Convention 2000. The program was a joint effort between members at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

SERVICE THROUGH AMERICA READS
Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, started its second round of its “Read to a Friend” program on November 1 in support of the Society's International Service Program, the America Reads Challenge. Last year, the chapter brought a book and new friend (of the stuffed variety) to more than 500 underprivileged kids in Douglas County. The chapter reported that, “Everyone who worked on this project last year found that they received as much enjoyment from the event as the kids did.”

After receiving support from Toys R Us for various children's projects, a member of Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey, was introduced through Toys R Us to Larry Steinberg, President of New York City's Modern Publishing. Asked if he would be willing to donate “some” books to the chapter for the America Reads Service Program, Steinberg responded with a commitment to donate 1,000 books each semester. “Because,” he states, “it's a good cause. It's just that simple. As long as I am president of this company, we will continue to donate to the chapter each year. What better thing is there than helping children? It just doesn't get much better than that.”

The chapter, in turn, distributes the books to children, local hospitals and to other chapters in the Middle States Region to distribute in their own areas. Joan Scrivani, the member who first approached Steinberg says of the donation, “People really want to help and are willing to give. All you have to do is ask.”

Join America's favorite reading event! To mark Dr. Seuss's 96th birthday, the National Education Association is calling for every child in every school in the country to read with a caring adult on March 2, 2000, “Read Across America Day.” For more information, visit the National Education Association's web site.

Live Via Satellite! Stephanie Wright, Phi Theta Kappa's International President, will be a featured panelist for the United States Department of Education's Satellite Town Meeting on Tuesday, March 21, at 8:00 pm (Eastern Time). The topic is “Nurturing Readers: Building and Sustaining Community Reading Programs.” U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley and featured guests will discuss how to create and sustain community reading programs.

The town meeting is an excellent opportunity for chapters to promote the America Reads Service Program, while networking with others in their communities who share a commitment to children and reading. Participating chapters are encouraged to invite parents, teachers, school administrators, business leaders, community activists and others to their teleconference site.

MAKING TIME FOR FELLOWSHIP
Taking advantage of a Saturday, the Phi Theta Kappa chapter at West Virginia University in Parkersburg, West Virginia, hosted a fellowship activity which included members from two other Virginia chapters, the Virginia Regional Coordinator Brady Surles, Regional Vice President Alison Varner, and Regional Secretary Rochelle Meadows. Members attended a college football game, then gathered for a campfire and cookout during which time ideas for their Regional Convention and Regional Service Project were discussed. The day was topped off by a visit to “Fright Farm.”

Realizing communications are an important part of fellowship, St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron, Michigan, maintains a web page that is updated weekly. The chapter is able to make information available to members not able to make their weekly meetings. The page also provides links to their Regional and the International web sites, as well as the option to join their listserv.

THE ART OF COMBINING HALLMARKS
While garnering administrative support, Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, provided scholarship, leadership, and fellowship during their Cleveland District Fellowship Breakfast. The chapter invited five neighboring college presidents, members from other chapters in the Northeast Ohio District, including the newest district chapter at Belmont Technical College in St. Clairsville. Breakfast was free and included a keynote address, a panel discussion with the college presidents, and a brainstorming session to establish Hallmark goals. Through the breakfast activities the chapter was able to express its appreciation of their own college president and of his ongoing support of chapter activities. Door prizes were also distributed.

MONEYMAKING STRATEGIES
Brevard Community College in Titusville, Florida, is able to raise funds by encouraging their members to buy and sell their textbooks through the chapter Book Sale, held the first week of school. The chapter receives a portion of each sale.

Over the summer Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde, Texas, sold watermelons donated by Texas A&M Research Center. The members were able to use a local Wal-Mart parking lot as the site for the sale.

Last year the members at Halifax Community College in Weldon, North Carolina, were successful in their raffle of two Mother's Day Baskets. One basket was filled with fruit, candy and goodies, the other with cosmetics.

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