This summer, Pi Beta Phi blessed me with the opportunity to attend our biennial convention in Chicago. For many people, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet chapters from across the U.S. and Canada, and to witness the conducting of business in the fraternity. For others, it had been a lifelong tradition. I had no idea how much attending such an event would allow my love for this group of women to grow and flourish. I have a new found respect for the traditions and history of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women, and I hope to be able to share just a little of this with all of those who were unable to attend.
When I was chosen to attend convention, I honestly did not know exactly what I was signing up for. I knew that the voting delegates would be making legislative decisions and that there would be various workshops to attend, but I had no idea that I would fall head over heels in love with our values, traditions, and members. It only took one day to realize that all the alumnae, leaders, and collegians that had gathered made up such a huge chunk of my heart. Coming together in such a setting really allows you to understand that, as a whole, we can make such a difference in the lives of so many people.
"At Pi Beta Phi, we believe in the power of reading. We believe reading always has been -- and always will be -- a powerful step toward a life of enduring impact." Pi Beta Phi works alongside Read > Lead > Achieve to give books to children so that they may become leaders through their reading skills. Since 2013, the Pi Beta Phi Literacy Fund has given $143,083 in local impact grants and $90,000 in special impact grants, and has raised $789,704 for Read > Lead > Achieve. At Convention, alone, we donated 10,000 books to Sit, Stay, Read students across Chicago, and Pi Phi has made a goal to donate one million books to one million kids by our 150th anniversary in 2017. We have already donated 522,140 books since 2013! This kind of dedication and love restores my faith in humanity as well as multiplies my pride in Pi Beta Phi.
My favorite part of convention was taking part in the traditions and heritage of the fraternity. Our 12 founders were strong, courageous women who paved the way to success and acceptance for women all over the world. They have created a following of over 300,000 past and present Pi Phis who yearn to spread to good work of the fraternity and carry on traditions that started in 1867 in Monmouth, Ill. From singing Ring Ching and Pi Phi Miss to the importance of initiation and the friendships of the founders, we have a rich history that is held together with strong bonds of wine and blue.
Throughout the week, the convention body was able to use these ideas of service and tradition to work together to solve problems. We attended multiple leadership workshops and had the opportunity to voice our opinions and struggles with all the other chapters in attendance. By talking about these things, everyone was able to gather new ideas and practices to take home and improve their own chapters. Only by growing and adapting can we make Pi Phi better. I am so proud of Pi Beta Phi and everyone involved who makes it the best it can be.
