Phi Kappa Phi Announces 2021 Literacy Grant Recipients

by Alyssa Papa

Baton Rouge, LA (06/24/2021) — The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, today announced its 2021 Literacy Grant recipients. The grants of up to $2,500 were awarded to 12 Phi Kappa Phi members across the nation.

The Literacy Grant Program, established in 2003, is part of the Society's robust awards program, which gives more than $1 million each year to outstanding students and members through study abroad grants, graduate fellowships, funding for post-baccalaureate development and member and chapter awards. 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, health, historical literacy and beyond.

The 2021 recipients and their respective projects are:

Terry S. Atkinson, Community Literacy Engagement: Imagination Library in a High Poverty North Carolina County
Sandra Campbell, Middle Tennessee State University Little Free Libraries
Dave Frantzreb, The Love of Reading
Shelby L. Garner, Innovation in Digital Learning through an E-Cafe to Improve Health Literacy among Nursing Students in India
Mollie Hartup, Honors Helping Future Scholars
Kelli Hunsucker, Promoting Literacy in Kindergarten Children through Ocean Themed Books and Virtual Story Times
Dilpreet Kaeley, Rx for Inclusive and Early Literacy
Will Porter, Music Workshops in Juvenile Detention Centers in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ethiopia
Aaron Ragsdale, Rabbit Readers
Muthukrishnan Sathyamoorthy, Born-to-Read Project for East Texas
Judy Stiles, Joplin Neighborhood Adult Literacy Action Read Student Success Program
Melissa Williams, The Art of Empowerment: Building Social-Emotional Learning Through Art

"Phi Kappa Phi is pleased to support these worthwhile and wide-ranging literacy programs. We applaud the efforts of our Phi Kappa Phi members who identify needs in their communities and seek to help in a variety of ways through these projects," said acting Society Executive Director, Traci Navarre.

The winning literacy projects were selected for a grant based on a number of criteria including the project's scope, student and community involvement, impact, duration and ability to achieve success.

To learn more about this year's recipients and projects, please visit www.phikappaphi.org/literacy.

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 approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually. The Society has chapters on more than 325 select colleges and universities in the United States 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 advance excellence in all fields of higher education and society." For more information, visit www.phikappaphi.org.

Chalon Aaron

Ragsdale