10%

"Dodge the Arrow" helps others dodge illiteracy

Pi Beta Phi's philanthropy event raised funds to promote literacy

Por Dean Straka

19 de November de 2015

TCU students could be seen in large numbers playing dodgeball at the campus intramural fields Friday afternoon, but it wasn’t just an ordinary pick-up game.

TCU’s chapter of the Pi Beta Phi sorority put on its annual “Dodge the Arrow” philanthropy event, a dodgeball tournament among fraternity teams aimed to promote literacy.

The event had a turnout of 208 contestants, as 26 eight man fraternity teams competed in the dodge ball tournament that was complete with a live DJ, free Muscle Milk, and countless boxes of free pizza for the students. Pi Phi members served as coaches for the teams.

“The tournament gets super competitive and is really fun,” said Kate Bowman, the vice-president of philanthropy of TCU’s chapter of Pi Beta Phi. “The guys get super into it.”

As part of the fundraising effort, the chapter also hosted its inaugural “Pie a Pi Phi” event in the TCU Campus Commons the day before “Dodge the Arrow”, in which students could pay two dollars to throw a pie at a Pi Phi member.

Write your story here. (Optional)

"Dodge the Arrow" helps others dodge illiteracy

Bowman said the proceeds from the two events, a total of $2,500, go directly to the Pi Beta Phi Foundation. The funds are then used to support the “Read > Lead > Achieve” platform, Pi Beta Phi’s national philanthropic effort that promotes literacy.

“Read > Lead > Achieve is an awesome thing that we get to do,” TCU Pi Beta Phi President Sarah Daniels said. “It’s our own foundation.”

Even in the 21st century, literacy has remained an issue in the United States. A 2012 study by the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) had the US ranked 12th internationally in adult literacy levels among participating countries. The US’s score of 270 was the three points under the PIAAC international average of 273, and 26 behind Japan’s score of 296.

The numbers within the United States are sobering. A study done in April by the US Department of Education and National Institute of Literacy revealed that only 13 percent of adults in the US could read at a proficient level, while a staggering 32 million adults in the nation were illiterate.

Write your story here. (Optional)

All details provided by National Institute of Literacy and U.S. Department of Education

By pushing for individuals to begin reading at a young age, Pi Beta Phi hopes to play a role in improving those statistics.

Daniels said there are initiatives under the Read > Lead > Achieve platform designed to further advance the cause.

“Through Pi Phi, it goes to First Book and Champions are Readers (CAR), so we get to do hands-on work with kids, and we also get to donate books, which is awesome,” Daniels said.

First Book is an non-profit organization aimed at helping children in need get access to new books. According to its website, the organization has provided more than 135 million books and education resources to schools and programs serving low-income families in Canada and the United States.

On the other hand, Champions are Readers is an original reading initiative under Read >Lead >Achieve targeted at enhancing the reading abilities of children in pre-kindergarten through third grade. Pi Phi members mentor and read with children as part of the program.

Bowman said that she and other chapter members are actively involved in the Champions are Readers initiative.

“I volunteer on Thursdays at a local elementary school with a bunch of other Pi Phis, and some of the money we raise goes to helping so more programs like that,” Bowman said. “It’s really great to see the impact the money we raise can make on those kids.”

According to the Pi Beta Phi national website, other reading initiatives under Read >Lead > Achieve include Fraternity Day of Service, in which Pi Phi members and alumnae from across the nation gather in various cities to distribute books and host events to boost children’s interesting reading, and Arrow in the Arctic, the sorority’s Canadian national philanthropy that helps supply books in libraries in northern Canada, a region with high illiteracy rates.

Write your story here. (Optional)

Participants in the dodgeball tournament spoke highly of the event. Sophomore Michael Molitor, a member of one of several Sigma Phi Epsilon teams that entered the tournament, said playing the event was a fun way to support a meaningful cause.

“I’ve only done a few philanthropy events before but I made sure to come back for Dodge the Arrow because it is always so much fun out here,” Molitor said. “I think all philanthropies are great because you are giving back, but Pi Phi specifically I know always gives back a lot, and I know through this event they always seem to raise a lot of money.”

Daniels praised Bowman, who planned the tournament and the pie throwing event, for making the two events as successful as they were.

“Kate is a really hard worker,” Daniels said. “She has planned every detail of it and has done a great job delegating tasks. She’s passionate about service and passionate about putting on a good event.

Daniels said Dodge the Arrow is something the chapter and contestants can look forward to each year.

“We love having everyone come out,” Daniels said. “Dodge the Arrow is a big event and we love it. We have a great time.”

To see if you remember what you learned from this article, test yourself by taking this quiz: https://www.qzzr.com/c/quiz/129439/7702ddda-3202-49f6-9976-3cb58b939901

Footnotes

Photos and graphics by Dean Straka

Button Label

FootNotes

Photos and graphics by Dean Straka

Story Told With

Start publishing stories like this