My name is Amanda Montelongo-Fisher and I am the VP Programs for the Phoenix Alumnae Club. My job is to plan our club's signature events, including Membership Lunch, Angel Exchange, Cookie Shine, Founder's Day and this year's new event, An Angel Affair for Literacy. I really enjoy my position because I get to plan the events that will bring our club together to celebrate our heritage and sisterhood. Joining the Alum Club was one of the first things I did when I moved to Arizona about three years ago and it was at events like Membership Lunch and Angel Exchange that I've been able to meet some of the people I now call friends.
My favorite event is our Angel Exchange. This year our Angel Exchange will be held on Friday, December 2nd at 6:00 p.m. at Sedona Montelongo's house (my mom!). Each guest is asked to bring an appetizer or dessert to share as well as an angel item ($15 or less) to exchange. I love this event because it brings our club together to celebrate the holidays while also celebrating sisterhood. This year, we have something extra to celebrate - the Phoenix Alumnae Club was founded on December 28th, 1926. This month we're celebrating 90 years of Phoenix Pi Phis and will be having a "birthday bash" at Angel Exchange! There will be cake, balloons, and we will be raffling off a Birthday Basket full of fun Pi Phi and Phoenix Alumnae Club items, so be prepared to buy a ticket for a chance to win this awesome prize!
Also, don't forget to mark your calendars for An Angel Affair for Literacy- January 21st and Cookie Shine- March 15th. Also, please note Founders' Day has been rescheduled for April 22nd. I hope to see you at all of our upcoming events!
PPL,
Amanda
Last Call for Membership Forms
If you haven't joined the club yet, it's not too late! The links for both our paper form and online form are below. This will be our last membership push for the club year, fill out your membership form today and don't miss any of the fun events we have planned for the rest of the year!
We hope that you choose to join us on this journey as we give you the opportunity to take flight!
Calling All Leaders!
Starting in January, the Club's Leadership and Nominating Committee (LNC) will begin working on the 2017-2018 Executive board slate, and on filling the additional 20 or so leadership positions that are available within the Club. An Interest Survey will be sent out to all Club members to find out your thoughts:
Do you have a specific Executive Board position that you are interested in either now or in the future?
Are you interested in holding a smaller leadership role within the Club, possibly leading a special interest group or maybe helping with a smaller project?
do you have a specific skill set (spreadsheet queen, decorator extraordinaire, super organization skills, etc), but you're not sure exactly which leadership position could make great use of your skills?
We are working on the survey, but in the meantime, please contact Heather Miller at hdw25@yahoo.com or Renee Bennett at reneemannion1014@gmail.com with any questions regarding the LNC process or if you are interested in club leadership. We highly recommend it! Club leadership is fun and rewarding!
Philanthropy
Lots of great opportunities to volunteer in December! Don't forget that all philanthropy events earn you a stamp on your virtual passport. If you have any questions about events, please contact Kim, our VP Philanthropy, at philanthropy@phoenixpibetaphi.org
Thank you for supporting UMOM and our book drive to fill their Read to Me room! We were able to provide lots of books from their wish list and helped make the Read to Me program a continued success.
December volunteer opportunities:
UMOM New Day Centers:
Book Room - Wednesday, Dec 7th, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Holiday Read to Me - Tuesday, Dec 13th, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm - We will be making crafts with the kids at UMOM - we need 10 volunteers for this fun, annual event!
Holiday Gift Wrapping - Thursday, Dec 15th, 9:00 am - 11:00 am - We will be wrapping Christmas gifts for families that reside at UMOM - we need 10 volunteers!
Brunson-Lee Elementary:
Birthday Book Room - Thursday, Dec 1st, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Kids Need to Read:
Reading Buddies - we are collecting Reading Buddies to help Kids Need to Read distribute to kids as part of the national READ Together program. They are hoping to collect 3,000 Reading Buddies this year. Please consider bringing one (or a few) to Angel Exchange to help support their cause. A Reading Buddy is a stuffed critter to which a child reads aloud, especially when they have no one else to read with at home. Stuffed animals need to be SMALL and new. Just the prefect size for a kindergartner or first grader to read to. There are many available on Oriental Trading.
Birdies for Charity - pledge money for each birdie at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and help fund Kids Need to Read! Your pledge can be as small as a penny per birdie, click here to read a full description of how this program works. you can visit www.birdiesforcharityaz.com to donate. Make sure you designate "Kids Need to Read" as the recipient group for your pledge! If they qualify as one of the Top 6 recipient groups, they will get to host a table at the WMPO - let's help them make it to the top!
Phoenix Panhellenic Association:
Teddy Bear Drive:
We will be collecting teddy bears for the local fire departments, please bring to club philanthropy events, SIG events, or give to Kim directly! Angel Exchange would be a great place to drop off your donation!
Waste Management Phoenix Open:
It's that time of year again - secure your spot for the Waste Management Phoenix Open! Volunteers are needed to fill concession shifts from January 30-February 5th, 2017 at the annual Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale. We have 75 spots to fill for Pi Phi, so find some friends and sign up for a shift (or 2) today! *PROM Catering (the organization the coordinates the shifts) will be opening up registration to other groups the first week of December, including shifts that have been set aside for Panhellenic groups in the past. Please sign up ASAP so we can make sure Pi Phi spots are not given to other groups - less Pi Phi volunteers means less scholarship money for Panhellenic! Volunteers can be Pi Phis, spouses, boyfriends, best friends, neighbors - anyone counts as long as they register under Pi Phi. Register and pick your shift by clicking here. Please be aware that this is a NEW WEBSITE, so please pay attention when registering as it will be different than last year. Directions to register can be found here. Volunteer shift includes a pass to the tournament on the day you volunteer and helps raise money to fund Phoenix Panhellenic scholarships - last year Phoenix Panhellenic raised $32,000! Let's keep the tradition going and raise even more money for scholarships this year!
Fundraising
Please plan to join us at our first Angel Affair for Literacy on January 21, 2017. This event is our new and improved Beaux and Arrow event for the year and should be a great time - we hope you plan on attending! The evening will include wine, beer, appetizers, socializing, as well as great items to purchase. We will have items for all budgets, large and small, with some packages starting as low as $25. There will be a silent auction, raffle prizes, a wine pull - there's something for everyone! We will also be accepting donations to give the the Foundation in the Club's name - if you are planning to give, please consider writing your check at our event and allowing us to count it towards our Club donation. Money donated in this manner is tax-deductible.
Bring a friend or your significant other and stop by to see all the great items you could own. Items that will be auctioned/raffled include Pi Phi swag, beauty and spa packages, jewelry, art, experiences, and even a full registration package to Convention this summer in St. Louis. We have a small preview of auction items below and will be releasing more sneak peaks as the auction gets closer - pay close attention to our Facebook and Instagram pages in the next 2 months!
The funds raised from this event will be donated to the Pi Beta Phi Foundation, with the intention of directing monies to The Literacy Fund. The Literacy Fund plays a critical role in the success of our Read>Lead>Achieve initiative by impacting children’s lives and putting books into the hands of children. Some of this money is funneled directly back to our local community through things like the 500 books we've received in the past for Fraternity Day of Service and the Special Impact Grant of $10,000 awarded to Kids Need to Read last year for their Page Coach project, as well as to other deserving groups and clubs across the country.
We are still accepting donations, so if you have an item you would like to donate please contact our VP Fundraising. You will receive recognition for the item(s) you donate, as well as the satisfaction of knowing you helped raise funds for The Literacy Fund at Pi Beta Phi Foundation.
If you have any questions about our fundraising projects and events, please contact our VP Fundraising, Erin, at fundraising@phoenixpibetaphi.org.
SIG Spotlight
Adventurous Angels
This month's spotlight is on our Adventurous Angels group. This group meets once or twice a month for various activities around the Valley. Escape the Room, touring a museum, making holiday crafts - the options are endless with this fun and exciting SIG!
About Heather: NM Beta (New Mexico State University), 1992
Current/Past Pi Phi roles: I've been involved in the Phoenix Alumnae Club since 2005 and immediately took on the role of Panhellenic Alternate and started the Book Club SIGs. I moved from there to Membership Outreach, Treasurer then Co-President for the last three years. I'm now on the Alumnae Advisory Committee (AAC) as Finance Advisor for AZ Alpha (University of Arizona). I really love my new role and have learned so much in such a short time! My degree is in accounting (notice a theme??? Treasurer....Finance Advisor) but I've been loving my job as stay-at-home mom for the last nine years.
Background and Family: I have two sons (Mason- age 13, Brady- age 9) that keep me really busy driving to chess classes, karate and a 1,000 other places. I've been married to my husband Dave, for 15 years and he works in public accounting.
Favorite Pi Phi memory: Right now it's more something I'm looking to, rather than a memory. I can't WAIT to go to convention next summer in St. Louis! Convention is an amazing, fun experience and I can't imagine missing the one for our 150th anniversary celebration. I encourage all of you to join me! I promise you will have a fantastic, unforgettable time!
About Christine: WA Gamma (University of Puget Sound), 1980
Background and Family: Married to husband, Rich, for 33 years. My daughter and son-in-law live in Gig Harbor, WA. My son also lives in Washington state - That is why I summer up there!
Why I wanted to be a SIG leader and why you should join: I love co-leading ANY Pi Phi groups - share the work and the fun! I'm looking forward to exploring new adventures with Heather and our sisters - we are open to suggestions for ideas to get out and about in our wonderful valley.
Favorite Pi Phi Memory: My favorite memory is attending my first Convention with my Phoenix and Seattle Alumnae 2 summers ago in Chicago! Looking forward to 2017 in St. Louis!
Please note: In order to receive e-vites for and attend SIG events, you MUST be a dues paying member of the Phoenix Alumnae Club. Joining the club helps us keep track of who has subscribed to e-vites and supports the club financially. We like to try and keep as many events as possible at little to no cost to our members, and one of the ways we do this is by collecting club dues. Membership is open to any and all alumnae of Pi Beta Phi, so please join the club and take advantage of all we have to offer!
Tell us Something Good!
It's a great time to be a Pi Phi:
AZ Beta initiated 83 new members November 6th, including club member Marty McCarty's granddaughter - Lexi DeGregoris. Lexi is a fourth generation Pi Phi, following her great grandmother Mabel Pruitt Mohr (IN Alpha, 1919), her grandmother Martha (Marty) Mohr McCarty (IN Alpha, 1961), her mother Melinda (Mindy) McCarty DeGregoris (AZ Beta, 1987), and her aunt Melissa (Missy) McCarty Farrington (AZ Beta, 1989).
AZ Beta Emily Carney, junior, was elected Panhellenic President at ASU.
AZ Gamma initiated 68 new members on November 5th.
Alyssa Scofield was selected as Miss Phoenix 2017. You can follow her on social media at @missphoeinxaz to see all the wonderful things she does this upcoming year!
Wendy Brooks was selected as the President-elect for the Junior League of Phoenix. She is slated to take office in 2018 and will serve through 2020. JLP is a non-profit organization that supports a number of events and groups across the valley - click here to learn more about what they do.
If you have great news you'd like to share with the club, please send to communication@phoenixpibetaphi.org to be included in the next newsletter!
About Heather:
About Christine:
