Panhellenic Breaks Record in Book Drive During Scholarship Month for Schools in Need

Carmen Colson

Ava Clayton, Panhellenic vice president of philanthropy and community service, led the month-long initiative and organized a record-breaking book drive for children in need.

The Arkansas Panhellenic Council joined the National Panhellenic Conference sororities and other college Panhellenics to celebrate Month of the Scholar during February. Month of the Scholar honors the core value of scholarship that exists in every NPC member organization and College Panhellenic.

Throughout the month of February, our Panhellenic Council celebrated this month with the theme of "Learn what you love. Love what you learn." The month began with a social media campaign, where each chapter shared how their involvement within Panhellenic helped them grow academically, personally and socially. This social media campaign was shared through videos, photos and banners hung from every house.

From there, the Panhellenic Executive Board celebrated by reading at local daycare centers in Northwest Arkansas. While there, they were able to read and interact with classrooms and share the importance of literacy. Panhellenic went on to celebrate Black History Month through an educational program with former Miss Arkansas, Ebony Mitchell. During the program, Mitchell spoke of the importance of representation, community engagement, advocacy and her experience as the fourth African American Miss Arkansas.

The month concluded with an honors banquet that recognized over 200 women for their high scholastic achievement. Seniors were able to bring a professor who served as an influential figure in their academic career. These women were selected specifically based on their outstanding commitment to academic excellence and community involvement.

Panhellenic President Katherine Ford was thrilled about the efforts displayed throughout the month. "Panhellenic women are students first, and Panhellenic Scholarship Month promotes just that!" she said. "This month has served as a reminder that Greek Life is a massive proponent for scholastic development and dedication. The ideals of commitment, service and excellence have been demonstrated all month long with different events like daycare reading visits, a record-breaking book drive and academic banquet. Having initiatives that all 11 chapters can contribute to is truly unique, and the ability to collectively recognize and celebrate academic achievement is so special. This month profoundly impacts not just Panhellenic women but Northwest Arkansas and beyond, and we are grateful to facilitate such a noteworthy cause."

One of the more impactful initiatives during the month was the book drive that each of the Panhellenic chapters participated in. Collectively, chapters raised a record-breaking 12,735 children's books for various elementary schools within Arkansas.

Ava Clayton, Panhellenic vice president of philanthropy and community service, led the book drive initiative.

"I am absolutely thrilled with the exceptional contributions from our Panhellenic chapters in this year's record-breaking book drive," Clayton said. "February, being Scholarship Month, provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate academic success and give back to our community. With the remarkable number of books we collected this year, I am excited that we're able to make a difference in the lives of children by helping them discover the joy of reading."

Books will be distributed to several schools throughout the state of Arkansas during the remainder of the spring semester.