This past weekend I attended the New Jersey Leadership Conference for Phi Theta Kappa hosted by Ocean County College . Every time I attend a Phi Theta Kappa conference I’m continually impressed by the student’s dedication to both academic excellence and service. Moreover, I enjoyed putting faces to names and I was so happy to meet the students I have corresponded with for the past few months. One face I was particularly eager to see was Lisa Charon of Gloucester County College . This past spring, Lisa and her chapter brought in the most qualifying books by their student population out of the participating Phi Theta Kappa chapters. Consequently, they were awarded with a free registration (about $250) for the International Conference in Nashville in April, 2007.
Lisa is incredibly passionate about literacy and after I spoke with the group she gave her own testimonial about the book drive! She shared that “working with Better World Books has been a rewarding experience. Not only do we have the opportunity to witness the vast outpouring of generosity on our campus, but also to observe its far-reaching effects.”
Additionally, Lisa gave the group great advertising tips. Her chapter is holding a raffle in conjunction with the book drive. For every textbook a student donates they will give them a raffle ticket to be entered into a drawing for a prize to win a book store gift certificate. Out of the 660 dollars her chapter earned from last semester’s drive they are giving a 500 dollar scholarship to a deserving member and using the rest of the funds to purchase a bookstore gift certificate for their raffle. Not only will the raffle encourage more book donations, it will help to solidify their partnership with the bookstore!
