Kappa Delta Pi Celebrates 20 Years of Supporting Literacy
Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) September 30, 2013 -- Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), International Honor Society in Education, is celebrating its 20th year of supporting literacy in communities across the globe. This initiative was created to emphasize the Society’s commitment to educating children and to encourage lifelong learning through literacy.
In 1993, KDP partnered with Reading is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), the largest children’s literacy nonprofit in the United States. Kappa Delta Pi Chapters supported RIF’s Reading is Fun Week, which encouraged literacy through community activities and book drives. Projects included replenishing school libraries, “reading buddy” classroom programs, read-alouds in public places, and book drives for children and families in need.
In that first year, KDP chapters donated 6,445 books and spent 1,304 hours reading to more than 28,000 adults and children. It marked the first time RIF had participated in a nationwide outreach to colleges and universities.
The following year, in 1994, Kappa Delta Pi established grants to assist local chapters with programming for Reading is Fun Week. The KDP and RIF partnership ended in 2007, but the Society continued to support chapter literacy initiatives, including grant funding, under the name Literacy Alive!
As the program grew, individual teachers expressed the desire to participate, and for 2013 Literacy Alive! grant underwriting was broken into two divisions: the chapter literacy fund (awarded to KDP chapters) and the teacher literacy fund (awarded to individual teachers in school systems).
“As our national service project, Literacy Alive! projects allow members to promote and improve literacy—considered to be the cornerstone of lifelong learning—among the students and citizens of their communities,” said KDP Executive Director Faye Snodgress. “We are so proud of the impact made by our members these past 20 years through their involvement in this initiative.”
This year, nearly 15,000 books were collected, serving 29,051 people. The Society will continue the 20th anniversary celebration at its upcoming Convocation in Dallas, Oct. 24-26, where a book drive and fundraiser will support the initiative.
To learn more about Literacy Alive!, go to http://www.kdp.org/literacyalive/.
Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, is a 501 (c) (3) organization established in 1911 to recognize and promote excellence in education, provide a reasoned voice for significant issues, and link learning communities of educators. Through its programs, services, and strategic partnerships, KDP supports the professional growth and teaching practices of educators throughout all phases and levels of their careers. The organization currently has more than 600 chapters and an active membership of more than 40,000 worldwide.
Laura Stelsel, Kappa Delta Pi, http://www.kdp.org/, +1 (317) 829-1550, [email protected]
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