Pi Kapp Gator The Official publication of the Alpha Epsilon chapter of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity for alumni and friends. Spring 2007
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Volunteers fix greenhouse GLENWOOD -- It took 2 1/2 years, but finally the waters have receded.
Gainesville, Florida
ALPHA EPSILON on FOX NEWS
Now, as Christopher Hill, administrator of the Duvall Presbyterian Home, puts it, it’s time to reclaim an idyllic spot along the lake that once proved therapeutic for the home’s 150 developmentally disabled residents. The Duvall Home’s greenhouse, which flooded during the 2004 hurricane season, was the site of a cleanup by members of the national Pi Kappa Phi fraternity over the weekend. Since the 2004 hurricanes, the home’s greenhouse has sat shattered, overrun by tree limbs, dirt and dead plants. The recreation area around it has been underwater and overrun by weeds and downed trees. “This used to be a sidewalk,” Hill said Thursday, pointing to a path that’s now covered with dirt and weeds. “We are just going to be reclaiming land.” He has plenty of help that weekend as 45 members of the Pi Kappa Phi national fraternity drove and bike to the home on Grand Avenue west of DeLand to help out with several restoration projects. They are a part of Push America, a national project founded by the fraternity to help the disabled. This weekend is special for group members because it marks their 100th Give-A-Push Weekend, where they spend two days constructing accessible environments for people with disabilities, or in this case helping to repair what’s been damaged.
INside
“It’s a very monumental time for our organization,” said Tanner Bacon, project coordinator. “It’s also going to be an exciting weekend because we haven’t been to Florida in a few years, so it will be the first time for a lot of these people to experience a Give-A-Push Weekend. That will be awesome.”
The Gentlemen of Alpha Epsilon display their Orange and Blue spirit when Fox News announced the Gators bid to the BCS Championship Game.
Hill has a list of projects for the volunteers to work on, including facelifts for two residential buildings, and repairing the greenhouse -- where residents used to enjoy working on their potted plants -- and the land around it.
and seeing appreciation on the faces of the people they help. “The results are immeasurable.” See candid photos from this event on Page 4.
“We are just ecstatic,” he said. “This is just a phenomenal service project for our residents, but also for the fraternity, just for the tremendous experience and the growth.” Bacon said he loves watching the undergraduates grow
Taking Alpha Epsilon to the Top in 2007. Meet the BOAA. See Page 3
Pi Kappa Phi wins Kappa Alpha Theta’s philanthropy Overall with the ladies of Zeta Tau Alpha. See Page 3