Pi Phi bonfire to give proceeds to literacy

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Pi Phi bonfire to give proceeds to literacy

Pi Beta Phi is combining advocacy and excitement at their upcoming Phi Fest, a philanthropy event to support literacy. The event is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 6 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

Tess Skehan, Pi Beta Phi president, said the purpose of the event is twofold. 

“We received a large donation to our house and we were able to build a memorial fire pit and patio,” Skehan said. “We wanted to have a chance to invite the campus over to check out our new fire pit and hang out with us, but also to promote literacy.” 

Hillsdale’s Michigan Alpha chapter is incorporating Pi Beta Phi’s international literacy initiative with their “Lemonade for Literacy” stand at the fest. Skehan encourages students to sip some lemonade and support Pi Beta Phi’s partner organization, Read > Lead > Achieve. 

“This semester specifically, we are concentrating more on the advocacy role of our chapter,” Kristin Freeman, Pi Phi philanthropy chair, said. 

That focus on community involvement is exactly what Pi Beta Phi hopes to integrate into Phi Fest as their first public event, according to Skehan.

The sorority’s literacy efforts reach toward national and local goals, furthering the latter with projects like First Book, a national nonprofit that promotes education and literacy. According to Skehan, Pi Beta Phi and First Book have donated more than 3.5 million books together. 

“There are a lot of programs outside of Pi Phi that are related to literacy, Buddy Reading and things like that,” Skehan said. “Kristin really promotes that to our girls.”