CARnival event to support reading and education in elementary students

This year members of the Pi Beta Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon will being taking the CARnival to elementary students while teaching them reading skills.

CARnival will take place Friday, Feb. 27 at Winterfield Venture Academy from 4-6 p.m.

“CAR stands for Champions are Readers and it is a unique reading enrichment program designed to help improve the literacy skills of children in grades K through third grade,” said Lauren Banks, a second-year occupational therapy major and Pi Beta Phi’s vice president of philanthropy.

Banks said that the event will include literacy activities, reading to the students and giving them new books to read. The event is hosted in cooperation with Pi Beta Phi’s philanthropy, Read > Lead > Achieve, according to Stephanie Elkins, a first-year marketing major and Pi Beta Phi’s vice president of communications.

Elkins said that Banks came up with the idea of making it a CARnival, rather than simply just a reading event this year.

“We wanted to come up with a way to end the program on a high,” Elkins said. That is why they added carnival events after the reading is done.”

Banks said that the event is open to the academy’s kindergarten through third grade students and a few local daycares.

According to Elkins the two organizations will focus on reading to third grade classes at Winterfield.

“Our sorority has been routinely volunteering at the Winterfield Venture Academy in Toledo to put on this program and help the third graders there develop their reading skills,” Banks said.

Banks said that this is the first year that the carnival events will be held after the reading event; in the past the event has only included teaching reading skills to students. Banks said she wanted to add an element of fun.

“At the CARnival we will have inflatables, face painting, games, a snow cone machine, a popcorn machine, inflatable bowling and prizes,” Banks said.

Aaron Degiulio, a third-year business major and the member of Sigma Phi Epsilon in charge of the CARnival event, said that the fraternity looks forward to helping out Pi Beta Phi with the event.

“We love the ladies of Pi Beta Phi and would do anything to help them with their philanthropic, community events. I am hoping the event is a huge success and can’t wait to see how it all turns out,” Degiulio said.

In addition to helping out Pi Beta Phi, the members of Sigma Phi Epsilon also are doing this for a cause of their own.

“Our national philanthropy is Big Brothers/Big Sisters so I thought this could be a great way to get myself as well as the rest of the guys to go out and touch the lives of kids while adding more meaning to such a great cause,” Degiulio said.

According to Dexter Emchs, a third-year criminal justice major and the president of Sigma Phi Epsilon at UT, giving back to the community is very important to the fraternity, and all of Greek life.

“As Greek life as a whole we try to break the stereotypes and show what Greek life really does,” Emchs said.

Elkins also said that they look forward to pairing up with Sigma Phi Epsilon for the event, and for a good reason.

“We are partnering with Sigma Phi Epsilon because Dr. Seuss was a member of their organization and Dr. Seuss also happens to be the theme/mascot of our philanthropy,” Elkins said.

Both Pi Beta Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon expect a large turnout for the event, and know that it is for an excellent cause.

“We are doing this event and excited about it is because of the positive impact we can have on young students in the Toledo area,” Degiulio said.