NEMCC CHAPTER PARTICIPATES IN PROJECT GRADUATION

Project Graduation: Feed a Body, Feed a Mind, is a Phi Theta Kappa civic engagement program that encourages community college students to donate canned goods and books to local relief agencies and literacy organizations. The program focuses on the battle against the social issues of hunger and low literacy rates. In an effort to impact communities internationally, Phi Theta Kappa chapters in over 500 community colleges in the United States, Canada, Germany, Saipan, and Guam committed to changing lives and communities last year through Project Graduation. Since the launch of Project Graduation in 2002, more than 220,000 food items and 190,000 books have been collected and given to worthy organizations. Phi Theta Kappa, founded in 1918, serves 1,200 two-year colleges around the world. The Society’s operations are global in scope with chapters located in all 50 United States, U.S. Territories, Canada, and Germany. Nearly 1.5 million students have accepted membership in Phi Theta Kappa since its founding, with almost 100,000 new members inducted each year. Northeast’s Iota Zeta chapter is a five-star chapter, the highest rating a chapter can receive. This year members of Northeast’s chapter chose to donate books to the Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Mississippi in Corinth. Phi Theta Kappa members Morgan Ricks of Tupelo (l) and Cody Burchell (r) presented the books to Steve Hill of the Boys and Girls Club.

Members of Northeast Mississippi Community College’s Iota Zeta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Northeast Mississippi Community College recently participated in “Project Graduation … Feed a Body, Feed a Mind,” a Phi Theta Kappa initiative designed to help alleviate hunger and illiteracy in our community. Members collected both food items and books during graduation week at the college. This year food products were donated to the Amen Food Pantry in Corinth. Phi Theta Kappa members recently delivered the donated items to Betty Howser at the Corinth facility. Pictured with Howser are Joel Barron (l), recently elected co-president of the Northeast chapter for 1007-08 and Rusty Whitten (r) of Corinth; Lowrey and Yow were Phi Theta Kappa officers for 2005-06 at Northeast. . The chapter was also recently recognized as a Five Star Chapter, the highest rating given. Phi Theta Kappa is an international organization composed of 1100 chapters at colleges in the United States and Canada. Phi Theta Kappa’s international headquarters are located in Jackson, Miss. The honor society seeks to foster the development of leadership and service, to provide an intellectual climate for the exchange of ideas and to encourage the establishment of scholarships for advanced education. Phi Theta Kappa is recognized by the American Association of Community Colleges as the official honor society for two-year colleges.