We are trying something new this year. In the past, the day the directory went to print, it was already out of date. We receive many membership forms during the month of September and those individuals were not being included in the printed version of the directory. We made a decision to wait one month longer this year before compiling the first edition, and the only printed version, of the directory. The second improvement on the directory process this year is only a limited number of directories will be printed. All Golden Arrows will receive a printed copy and also anyone who requested a printed copy on their membership form. By not printing a hard copy of the directory and mailing it to all club members we are saving approximately $3 per member! This is funding that can be used in so many other ways such as philanthropy, programming, etc.
We WILL be distributing an electronic version to all club members, and that electronic version will be updated throughout the year giving you an updated listing of club members at all times! Each of you will have access to an updated listing of club members at all times! We are working on the directory content as I type this newsletter, and plan on having the first edition printed and the electronic copy distributed by mid-October.
We hope that you enjoy these process improvements!
Get out your calendars angels! We have lots of amazing events planned for you during the month of October! If you have any questions on what any of these events are or wish to attend and would like details, please email president@phoenixpibetaphi.org.
UMOM Walk for Homeless Families
It's always a great time to join the Phoenix Alumnae Club!
Our year has just begun and we have LOTS of great events planned. Click here for a current year membership form or pay your dues online by selecting the button below. Email membership@phoenixpibetaphi.org for more information.
Paying your International dues through our club or directly to Pi Beta Phi Headquarters between July 1 to December 1, 2014, will enter you to win one of four Kindle readers or a $250 Pi Phi Express gift certificate!
Phoenix has been selected by Pi Phi HQ as one of four cities to host a Pi Beta Phi Fraternity Day of Service Signature Event! Last year’s inaugural events were such a success that more than 20 alumnae clubs and chapters representing nearly every region applied to host a Signature Event for 2015. After carefully reviewing each of the applications, the Headquarters Read > Lead > Achieve® team selected nine finalists from which Grand Council chose the four winning cities- Atlanta, Des Moines, Oklahoma City and Phoenix!
As you know, Fraternity Day of Service is celebrated each year on or around March 2 in honor of Dr. Seuss’® birthday. The event in Phoenix will be held on February 27 & 28, 2015.
We will be hosting an exciting community-wide event including the donation of 20,000 brand new books. That means we’ll need your help! Volunteers are needed to lift boxes, sort books and assist recipient groups in selecting books. For more information about this events or to sign up to volunteer, please email our VP Philanthropy Kim OBrien at kob1@cox.net.
We can’t wait to work together to help make a difference in the lives of the children in our community.
Golden Arrows at Membership Brunch
Phoenix Alumnae Club participated in Read>Lead>Achieve Month in September
Changed our Facebook banner to the official RLA
We held two book drives, one at Membership Brunch and one through Lunch Bunch collecting a total of 525 books that were donated to UMOM New Day Centers.
Posted various literacy facts on all social media utilizing hashtag #readleadachieve
Communicated and celebrated the announcement of Phoenix being selected for a Signature Fraternity Day of Service Event
Partnered with the Pajama Program to donate new pajamas and books to the children at one Read to Me evening at UMOM. Nine volunteers for a total of 18 hours.
UMOM Book Room maintenance with our special guests, the ladies of Lunch Bunch. Eight volunteers for a total of 20 hours.
Bunco SIG held a spelling bee
Book Club SIG took a literacy quiz
Raised $1,096 from Place a Bid Please auction for the Pi Beta Phi Foundation Literacy Fund
Organized the Birthday Book Room at Brunson-Lee Elementary by obtaining six bookshelves. The room was then decorated and books sorted by genre. Three volunteers for a total of 15 hours.
Mary Christine "Chris" Giza
Carolyn Helman Litchtenberg Crest Award Nominee
Carolyn Helman Litchtenberg Crest Award Nomination
The Phoenix Alumnae Club is proud to announce that we have submitted a nomination for Mary Christine Giza, Kansas Beta, for the Carolyn Helman Litchtenberg Crest Award for Professional Achievement.
Chris, as she is known, has had many outstanding personal and professional achievements in the Navy and aviation, many of which were the first for women! Our Founders would be thrilled that she is a trailblazer and has paved the way for a career in the Navy and in aviation for women.
She was initiated into Kansas Beta in 1969 and after graduating in 1972, she joined the Navy, and in 1976, became the 7th Navy female pilot and the 2nd military woman to fly military jets. Chris completed a 24-year Naval career in 1996, which included assignments in 12 different locations.
After retiring from the Navy, her desire to continue to fly led her to become the first woman to fly for the United States Marshals Service. She flew prisoners, witness protection and illegal aliens for the Justice, Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS), which included an assignment in Phoenix, AZ. When the Department of Justice closed the Phoenix JPATS base in 2011, Chris opted to retire from the US Marshals Service rather than leave Phoenix, which is now her permanent home.
Most recently her aviation career led her to to work for a defense contractor flying Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance in Afghanistan.
“It was for selfish reasons that I wanted to go to Afghanistan and fly in a combat zone. As a Naval Aviator, I had never had the opportunity to fly in combat due to legal restrictions that were in place for women until 1992. Flying in combat in Afghanistan fulfilled one of the major ticket items in my bucket list and completed my career as a pilot and Naval Aviator. Once I got to Afghanistan, I wanted to return to complete the project my unit was working on, which had to do with finding and then tracking the Taliban who were using Incendiary Explosive Devices (IEDs) to kill U.S. forces. When I left Afghanistan in March of 2014, we had pretty much eliminated IEDs and captured most of those who were behind the manufacture of them.â€
Chris flew three four-month tours in Afghanistan, which was the perfect conclusion to a 40-year aviation career in both military and civilian aviation.
During her military career Chris was also the recipient of many honors and awards including five Meritorious Unit Citations, which she explained as: “This would be like Kansas Beta receiving 5 Balfour Cupsâ€.
