Draw Me a Story. Members at Hinds Community College in Vicksburg, Mississippi, have contacted all 12 elementary schools in their area to organize Phi Theta Kappa's Creative Writing Contest for Kids! Each participating child will receive a certificate and winners will receive a savings bond. Phi Theta Kappa announced the contest in the September/October issue of The Journey newsletter. Information may also be found on the Society's web site.

Captain Reader to the Rescue. Superhero Captain Reader and his sidekick Bookmark of the Phi Theta Kappa chapter at Trident Technical College in South Carolina made their debut at the Charleston Christmas Parade. They have since made several visits to second grade classes to deliver books. Captain Reader will continue with weekly visits to area schools and plans to participate in the Million Book Challenge.

The Volunteer State. Chapters in the Society's Tennessee Region held a friendly competition to determine who could collect the most books. The chapter at Northeast State Technical Community College won the trophy by collecting 4,316 books out of the 7,574 total books collected by the region. Each chapter in the region donated books to an organization of their choice. The Tennessee Region plans to continue the Book Drive Challenge through the fall and at the next Regional Convention will also present an award to the chapter member who has volunteered the most hours in tutoring students. They don't call Tennessee "The Volunteer State" for nothing!

Reading 101. The Society's chapter at St. Petersburg Junior College – St. Petersburg Campus in Florida has invited local elementary school educators to their campus to help them develop a program which will assist school children with reading skills.

Global Effort. The International Reading Association is donating children's books to the Phi Theta Kappa chapter at Guam Community College in Barrigada, Guam. The chapter in turn plans to raise additional books and distribute them to the remote islands of Guam by Christmas.

Off-Off-Broadway. At Pellissippi State Technical College in Tennessee, members-turned-thespians performed a play at Border's Books and Music. Choosing a Dr. Seuss classic, "Green Eggs and Ham," chapter members first read, then acted out, in costume, the story for the children.

Read and Lead. At Southern Union State Community College in Alabama, Society members are working with their campus dance and drama department to develop "Characters Through Literature" presentations to be performed at local schools. The chapter is incorporating into the presentations simplified lessons from the Phi Theta Kappa Leadership Development Studies so that they can teach leadership in conjunction with literacy.

Phi Theta Kappa's Very Own Library. An alumni chapter, Zeta of New York, is sponsoring a library to be named "Zeta Hall" for Job Corps, a program for troubled teens. So far 10,000 books have been collected for the library's shelves!

Leading the Way. The chapter at Whatcom Community College in Washington brought back three boxes full of children's books from their Summer Officers Training Retreat for distribution in the fall.

Kidz Karnival. Members at Western Piedmont Community College in North Carolina sponsored an "America Reads Challenge Booth" at the first Annual Kidz Karnival. The booth featured Dr. Seuss Word Bingo, storytelling, free books, and a poster contest. Prizes were given out for the poster contest and all participants received a book of their choice.

Read to Me. In New York, members at Broome Community College spread the word about literacy at a local hospital by delivering "Read to Me" bibs to newborn babies and by reading to patients in the pediatrics ward at Christmas.

Bedtime Stories. Illinois members at Kankakee Community College volunteer at their campus' Child Development Center as part of their service initiative. Before children take their afternoon naps, they hear stories read by members. In addition, the members distribute pamphlets to parents that provide tips on how to read to their children.

Golfing for Literacy. At Valencia Community College's East Campus in Florida, Phi Theta Kappans have implemented a comprehensive service program devoted to America Reads. The chapter holds a monthly "Book Buddies" program where they dress up as book characters and read at a local bookstore. Their popular campus book drive, titled "Got Books?," is held at a strategic time on campus: at the end of the academic term when students are eager to donate books used for classes. In addition to the book drive, the chapter has also had success raising funds for literacy by sponsoring a golf tournament in the spring...Fore!