UA Sororities, Fraternities Hosting Philanthropic Events

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Students involved in Greek organizations at The University of Alabama are expanding their community outreach by holding several events to benefit their philanthropic initiatives.

Among the November events are:

Nov. 12, Alabama Greek Missions — A jambalaya dinner will be held by Alabama Greek Missions on Nov. 12 to benefit its mission trip to Costa Rica. The dinner will be held at 5 p.m. at the Sigma Nu fraternity house. Tickets will cost $5, and all proceeds from the dinner will go towards the trip. This is the first year that a mission trip has been offered to UA fraternities and sororities. It will be held from Dec. 12-18, and about 40 students will be attending. For more information, contact trip organizer Valerie Rodriguez at 225/354-9564 or vgrodriguez@crimson.ua.edu.

Nov. 19, Champions Are Readers at Holt Elementary — The UA chapter of Pi Beta Phi will culminate its month long Champions Are Readers program at Holt Elementary on Nov. 19 with a pep rally for the participating third grade students. The celebration will be held at Holt Elementary School at 1:30 p.m. CAR is a reading enrichment program designed to supplement existing reading programs offered by the school in an effort to improve reading skills, instill a lifelong love for reading and promote family literacy. Upon completion of the program in 2009, third grade teachers at Holt Elementary reported that reading scores had increased dramatically. To encourage students participating in this year’s CAR program, members of Pi Beta Phi visited Holt Elementary weekly to read with students. As part of CAR, the students were challenged to read an extra 15 minutes each day with family and friends and log their progress on a “reading racetrack.” The students who make it to the “finish line” will receive a certificate of recognition, a new book and a CAR medal during the celebration on Nov. 19. An additional highlight of the CAR pep rally will be the Speed Read between the Holt Elementary third grade teachers and the principal, during which they will compete to see who can read the most words from a chosen book in 15 seconds. The winner will receive a monetary prize to go toward literacy materials for the classroom. For more information, contact Lindsay Leon at 251/510-2174 or lmleon@crimson.ua.edu.

Nov. 20, 5K Victory Lap for Literacy — Pi Beta Phi will also sponsor the 5K Victory Lap for Literacy with the UA Army ROTC on Saturday, Nov. 20. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the ROTC building behind Gorgas Library, and the run will begin at 10 a.m. Registration fees are $12 for early registration and $15 to register on the day of the race. All registrants will receive a T-shirt. All proceeds from the 5K run will benefit Army ROTC and First Book, an organization that provides new books to underprivileged children. To pre-register for the run, contact Leon at 251/510-2174 or lmleon@crimson.ua.edu.