Lesley L. Casarez Awarded Phi Kappa Phi Literacy Grant

2017 Jun 20

Lesley L. Casarez recently was awarded a 2017 Literacy Grant from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi--the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Casarez is one of 14 recipients nationwide to receive the award.

The $2,500 grant will be used to support the Families Who Read Together initiative at Fort Concho Elementary in San Angelo, Texas. As part of the project, each student in the school is given a book and the families read the book together following an established timeline. By encouraging families to read together, the program aims to build bonds in families, grow the vocabulary of students and enhance communication skills.

The Literacy Grant Program, established in 2003, provides funding to Phi Kappa Phi chapters and active members for new and ongoing projects that reinforce part of the Society's mission "to engage the community of scholars in service to others." Drawing from a multidisciplinary society of students and scholars from large and small institutions, the grants help fund projects ranging from traditional reading initiatives to those fostering learning in cultural, digital, financial, health, historical literacy and beyond.

In addition to literacy grants, the Society awards $1.4 million each biennium to qualifying students and members through study abroad grants, graduate fellowships, awards for post-baccalaureate development and member and chapter awards.

To learn more about Phi Kappa Phi's award programs, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org/Awards.

About Phi Kappa Phi

Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts annually approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni. The Society has chapters at more than 300 select colleges and universities in North America and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The Society's mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." For more information about Phi Kappa Phi, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.