Sharing our bounty

We at Phi Theta Kappa are collecting several things for the holiday season.

First, we are doing a toy drive and coat drive to give to our local battered women's shelter. We did this project last year and found out that the shelter is forgotten as far as donations because its location is not advertised. We gave over 100 unwrapped toys and over 30 gently used coats last year, and we need your help to do this project again this year.

We are also working with a Cub Scout group that is collecting blankets for the homeless. All blankets will be given to the Austin Street Shelter. If you have any items pleas e-mail me at Vikkii@putershop.com.

Our next project is a different type of recycling program where the entire product goes overseas. Books for Africa is a project where we collect college class books that are no longer needed and send them to Africa for people who would not have an education otherwise.

Are you taking a math or computer class and your book cannot be sold back to the book store, or maybe your book has been replaced with a new edition? Please give your books to Phi Theta Kappa to be sent to a place where education can make an even bigger difference. We will have donation boxes outside the book store close to the end of the fall semester.

We need your eyeglasses, too. If you have an old pair of eyeglasses lying around the house, please consider giving them to us for someone in a Third World country. Lions International has an eyeglass recycle program and Alpha Zeta Eta is joining in the drive to collect used eyeglasses. If you have a pair to donate, please drop them off in the box by SPAR that's sitting on top of the glass class that's marked “Give the Gift of Sight.” Every pair is inspected and matched up to someone in a third world country, so they can see the world again.

Last, but not least, we are doing a can food drive called Project Graduation. Project Graduation is an ongoing project we do all year long. Phi Theta Kappans have learned if people are hungry they cannot retain what they are taught. Their mind is much more concentrated on the fact they have not eaten. We collect can goods all year long at most of our events. Once we are done collecting, we donate the cans to the Santa Bucks program for our students, which will take place Dec. 6 in front of the book store and cafeteria.

If you have a can of food, a bag of sugar, flour, pasta, or anything nonperishable, please bring it to the SPAR office and put it in the box between the glass cases. We will have one more induction this semester. The orientation and induction will be on the same day: Dec. 20, 2 p.m. (location to be announced.) If you are interested in joining, you can contact the membership officer, Michelle Yoby, at michelley8605@yahoo.com.

—Vicki Riley is president of Alpha Zeta Eta's Phi Theta Kappa chapter.