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Fall 2023
The official publication for donors and friends of Pi Beta Phi Foundation
A Message from Leadership
Dear Sisters and friends, I made my first gift to Pi Beta Phi in 1988. (For those of you doing the math, that’s prior to the creation of our Foundation and years before our current collegians were born.) Although my gift was small—I think it was $10—I understood its true value. It represented a “yes” to our sisterhood. With my contribution, I believed I could make a difference. My gift mattered to Pi Phi. I mattered to Pi Phi. That same feeling is why I continue to say “yes” through my gifts and service to Pi Phi as a volunteer. My loyalty to this sisterhood, and my confidence in what we do, are the keys to my ongoing support. I believe my contributions matter. As you'll read in the pages that follow, every gift to our Foundation matters. The power of your support is reflected in the perseverance of the Pi Phis who receive Foundation scholarships, the inspiration of the learners who discover a love of reading, the spirit of the chapter and alumnae club officers who realize their capacity to lead and the gratitude of the sisters who receive emergency assistance grants. With your gifts, you’ve told every person whose life we’ve impacted that you believe they matter, too. Yet our collective accomplishments during the past year are only half the story. While recognizing the immediate impact of Foundation support is important, it’s also essential to keep our eyes on the horizon. Your gifts help us find a balance between caring for Pi Phi’s needs today and planning for what’s to come—partnering with our donors and learning more about their philanthropic passions and priorities, creating relationships now that will yield loyalty and generosity long into the future. Your support also helps us to envision just how bright that future can be, to dare to imagine what we could achieve if more sisters and friends said “yes.” With more than 200,000 living members, what could we do if every Pi Phi honored their Lifelong Commitment by giving back? How many more collegians and alumnae could we support with scholarships? What innovative leadership development programs could we create? How many more lives and communities could we touch? While our impact today is powerful, our potential impact is endless. Ultimately, our Foundation’s mission is to ensure Pi Phi’s longevity—to work for the benefit of our beloved Fraternity, to bring us ever closer to reaching our potential impact. And with your ongoing support, we can create a bright future for our sisterhood and for every member. I hope you’ll join me in continuing to say “yes” to Pi Phi, in any way you can. Your commitment matters, your gifts matter, and you matter to Pi Phi—now and always.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Creating a Bright Future
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With Gratitude
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Points of Interest
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In Pi Phi,
Cindy Rice Svec, Kansas Beta President, Pi Beta Phi Foundation Board of Trustees