June/July 2001
Issue

A Fund "Drive" in New Mexico
The New Mexico Region of Phi Theta Kappa has begun a new fundraising initiative called New Mexico Forward. The goal of the program is to raise $100,000 over 3 years, and has been designed to incorporate regional fundraising with the Leaders of Promise Scholarship, the Honors Study Topic and lots of fellowship.

"We’re tired of being poor," states Jon E. Juarez, Interim Coordinator for the New Mexico Region. "Our officers have always developed excellent annual goals. The only difficulty we face each year is having enough money to make our dreams a reality."

At the heart of this year’s initiative is a 2001 Harley-Davidson motorcycle on which Juarez expects to log hundreds of miles in his drive for community and funds for New Mexico Forward. "My goal is to get the motorcycle to as many chapters and as many cultural celebration events as humanly possible," says Juarez.

Chapters are able to keep half of their proceeds from the motorcycle fundraiser with the other half going to the Leaders of Promise Scholarship and regional scholarships.

"At our Regional Convention, Heidi White (2000-2001 International President) spoke to us about the importance of the Leaders of Promise Scholarship," said David Rodriguez, 2001-02 New Mexico Regional President. "The New Mexico regional members strongly believe in the program. We are completely committed to it, not only by words, but also now financially."

Perhaps greater than the financial rewards of the program will be the opportunity New Mexico will have to grow as a region. "We’re only five years old as a region. We haven’t had a chance to grow and be as united as we want to be," David continued. "We will now have an opportunity for members from all our chapters to attend regional and international events. This is going to give us a great sense of unity and regional identity."

The first-ever Leaders of Promise Scholarships will be awarded this fall to 10 deserving Phi Theta Kappa members. The scholarship program, available exclusively for Phi Theta Kappa members, provides funding for associate degree studies.

For more information on the Leaders of Promise Scholarship, visit www.ptk.org. To make a donation, you may download a form.

Middle States Region Champions Cause
The Middle States Region has been behind the Leaders of Promise Scholarship since its inception. Following the announcement of the new scholarship during the 2000 International Convention in Orlando, the Middle States Region was the first to contribute to the scholarship program, giving $1,000, and challenging other regions to do the same. Therefore, when the regional leaders sat down to plan their goals for the 2000-01 year, Leaders of Promise became an integral part of their comprehensive programming.

The program they established, called Middle States Champions, features five parts represented by a starfish logo. One of the parts was raising funds specifically designated for the Leaders of Promise Scholarship Endowment.

To participate in this fundraising component, chapters were given the choice of sponsoring their own fundraiser or participating in a region-wide "Dollar-for-a-Scholar" giveaway. Chapters were asked to sell tickets for $1 each. Each chapter kept half of the money they had collected, while giving the other half to the region for the Leaders of Promise donation.

Prizes donated to the region for the giveaway included a laptop computer, a TV/VCR and a CD stereo system. Even before the Middle States Regional Convention on March 1, the region had already reached its goal of raising $2,500 for the scholarship program. But they did not stop there. In the final hour of the regional convention, just before the drawing, outgoing Middle States Regional President Fred Strohl offered to match dollar-for-dollar all the tickets that could be sold within that hour. Not to be outdone, the Middle States Regional Coordinator Dan Houghtaling agreed that he would also match every final donation.

In the spirit of a worthy challenge, Wanda Guzman from Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, took up the cause, and she and her fellow chapter members helped to sell all the remaining tickets during the Regional Awards Banquet. In just 15 minutes, over $500 worth of tickets were sold. By the time the drawing was held, the grand total raised was $5,237!

"Wanda (Guzman) lost her battle with cancer and passed away shortly after our regional convention, but it was her dedication and that of our members and advisors to scholarship that made our efforts so successful," said Strohl. "We in the Middle States Region firmly believe in supporting the education process of the two-year college student and will continue to do so."

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