Building a Better World — One Leader at a Time

Illinois Iota ANGIE KILLIAN UNDERWOOD (right) with her husband, Aaron.

Illinois Iota ANGIE KILLIAN UNDERWOOD remembers the first gift she made to Pi Phi in the mid-1980s. As a recent college graduate and newlywed, she didn’t see herself in a position to give. “I remember getting a letter, and I think I gave 25 dollars,” Angie recalls. “I felt like I had no money, but I wanted to support Pi Phi because it was so important in my life.”

Several decades later, Angie has not only continued to support Pi Phi, but has made giving to our Foundation a philanthropic priority. As a member of the Evelyn Peters Kyle Society, she is among the donors who provide the essential financial support Pi Phi needs every year. Angie chooses to direct her gifts to the Friendship Fund, which provides unrestricted funds that make all Pi Phi programs possible as well as the operational functions needed to support them. Gifts like Angie’s provide the resources Pi Phi needs today to ensure we can meet the needs of tomorrow. “I want to put my money somewhere it’s going to make a difference — not just fix a crisis, but help build a better world,” she says.

Coming from a small town in Illinois, Angie felt a bit overwhelmed by the transition to Illinois State University’s campus. She calls Pi Phi the home within a home that made her college experience much more comfortable. Having grown up in a family with only brothers, she found the idea of participating in recruitment appealing. “I went from a tiny high school of 250 students to a campus of more than 25,000 people,” Angie says. “Pi Phi was perfect for me. When I walked into the house on the first day of recruitment, I instantly felt at home. I knew right away it would be my first choice.”

Angie believes in the power of Pi Phi to build confident women leaders. She not only sees the ways Pi Phi’s programs develop leadership skills in our collegians and alumnae, but also knows their benefit firsthand. Angie has served in numerous civic and volunteer leadership roles, and even was elected mayor of Long Grove, Illinois, the suburban Chicago village she calls home. She credits her experiences in Pi Phi with building the leadership skills and confidence she has carried throughout her postcollege life.

Initially, Angie worked as a dietitian in a hospital setting and later for a company that operated home meal delivery programs for senior citizens. When her husband took a job that required extensive travel, Angie opted to stay home with her three children for the next 20-plus years and was able to explore a different skill set. “I became what I call a ‘serial volunteer’ for many different causes — schools, Scouting, community organizations,” she says. “I’d join a group, and a few years later, would be asked to take on a significant leadership role.”

“I want to put my money somewhere it’s going to make a difference — not just fix a crisis, but help build a better world.”

She realized others recognized and valued her ability to lead, noting women would ask her how she was able to stay organized or run a meeting so smoothly. “I told them a lot of it comes from Pi Phi,” Angie says. “Sorority membership is not just about a social life. Pi Phi is where I learned and perfected my leadership and volunteer skills. My experience was so important in moving up and progressing throughout life and what was in store for me later on, whether it was the Scouts or serving as Mayor of my town.”

Soon after they became empty nesters, Angie and her husband, Aaron, reviewed their charitable giving and identified the causes closest to their hearts. Angie chose to increase her support of Pi Phi and feels grateful she can give at the Evelyn Peters Kyle Society level. The value she sees in Pi Phi’s ability to create leaders influences her decision to give to the Friendship Fund.

“I know the Friendship Fund impacts all areas of the member experience, including leadership development,” she says. “From the perspective of an elected official, women’s leadership is one realm where we need to make progress in the United States. We need more women in high leadership and political positions, which will only happen by training women to succeed starting in college. Pi Phi is there on the ground level, training women to be leaders for our future.”

Angie encourages her sisters to consider the role Pi Phi continues to play in their lives when making their charitable giving decisions. “Giving is very personal,” she says. “I try to be grateful for the opportunities I’ve had in my own life — those things that made a difference for me and encouraged me to get where I am. Pi Phi is definitely one of those things.” Although Angie’s chapter recently closed, she notes her financial support of our Foundation has only deepened her affinity for our sisterhood. “My personal connection is to something bigger, and it’s important for me to keep that connection going by giving back,” Angie says. “Giving to the Friendship Fund, which supports all Pi Phis, fosters that greater connection.”

Donors join the Evelyn Peters Kyle Society by making annual gifts of $1,000 or more to our Foundation. Visit pibetaphi.org/giving to learn more about supporting Pi Phi with a leadership-level gift.

Arlington Heights, Illinois, Alumnae Club President MELISSA BARNES DICKSTEIN, Illinois Iota, with fellow Illinois Iota ANGIE KILLIAN UNDERWOOD at a fundraising event for literacy. Note: Photo was taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every Sister, Every Year

Gifts to the Friendship Fund help our Foundation fulfill Pi Phi’s mission, supporting every sister, every year. These unrestricted gifts allow us to respond to Pi Phi’s most urgent needs — maintaining essential support for the leadership, literacy, scholarship and emergency assistance programs that empower our sisters — and the needs driven by the rapidly changing world.

The Friendship Fund also provides critical financial resources for the work behind Pi Phi’s philanthropic support — the engine that keeps our Foundation running. For every collegian who attends leadership training, every alumna who receives a fellowship and every child who receives her first book from Pi Phi, people and processes are in place to ensure funds are raised, donors are thanked, grants are given and programs operate smoothly. Without support from the Friendship Fund, we would not be able to dedicate the time and operational resources required to advance the work behind all our other endeavors and inspire more Pi Phis and friends to give.

Learn more about the Friendship Fund by connecting with your Foundation through a virtual visit. Our staff members and volunteers can share more about the impact you can make with a gift and discuss the giving opportunities that best fit your philanthropic goals. To schedule your virtual visit, call our Foundation at (636) 256-1357 or email fndn@pibetaphi.org. If you’d like to make a gift today, visit give.pibetaphi.org.