FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact: Eily Cummings

Marketing & Communications Director Work: (636) 2560680 Cell: (314) 4587714 eily@pibetaphi.org

Womens Group Working to Promote Literacy in the Silicon Valley SILICON VALLEY January 14, 2016 This coming February, Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women Alumnae Clubs of Palo Alto, San Mateo and San Jose will be donating 20,000 new books to Silicon Valley area schools, after-school programs and community programs serving students from low-income families and Title I schools through the annual Fraternity Day of Service Signature Event. For many of the students, these are the first new books they have ever owned and are the first step to creating a lifelong love of reading. The book distribution will take place in honor of Pi Beta Phis Fraternity Day of Service, an annual event bringing Pi Phis together to serve their communities through literacy service. At the event, Pi Phis will help carry, sort and distribute books and facilitated childrens activities including storytime, a Speed Read competition, kids interactive dance experience, and awarding winners of the Kindergarten to 6th Grade literacy essay and coloring contest. The three day event is held at Macy's Sunnyvale, located at 200 W. Washington Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. For event schedule, volunteer opportunities, and children's literacy contest details, visit http://puppy-kisses.com/fds/. Planning this event is very important to me because I believe literacy is the key to success, said Fraternity Day of Service Chairman Jacqueline Vo. Through this book distribution, Pi Beta Phi will help put 20,000 books into the hands of the children in our community. I am thrilled to be a part of this inaugural event and I look forward to seeing the ongoing impact it will make. People might be surprised to find out that reading statistics in Silicon Valley could be much improved. Standardize test scores show 42% of third graders are not reading at grade level; this static rises to a shocking 60% of Latino, African-American and Pacific Islander third graders. Local research indicate only 30% of low income children in the Silicon Valley are reading proficiently by third grade and that 74% of those who fail to meet this milestone are unable to catch up in later grades and are more likely to drop out of high school. Access to new, age-appropriate books helps change these childrens lives. Pi Beta Phi is helping put books into the hands of these deserving children in partnership with First Book, a nonprofit providing new books to its national network of schools and programs. Over the past several years, Pi Beta Phi has donated $1 million to literacy causes and given one million books to children in need. Now, the goal is to impact one million lives through its philanthropy Read > Lead > Achieve by the time Pi Beta Phi celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2017.

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Our Fraternity of more than 200,000 women is united in the cause to promote the importance of reading, said Pi Beta Phi President Paula Shepherd. According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, one in four children grows up functionally illiterate, and we believe that is one too many. Pi Beta Phi is thrilled to participate in this book distribution because we believe reading transforms individuals, creates leaders and is the foundation of all that we can achieve in life. About Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women: Founded in 1867 at Monmouth College in Illinois, Pi Beta Phi has installed 200 collegiate chapters and more than 300 alumnae organizations worldwide. Pi Beta Phi promotes friendship, develops women of intellect and integrity, cultivates leadership potential and enriches the lives of members and their communities. The Fraternity believes in the power of reading and through its philanthropy, Read > Lead > Achieve, promotes a lifelong love of reading that can unlock true potential. For additional information, visit www.pibetaphi.org or follow Pi Phi on Twitter and Facebook.

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