Great Idea Award 2008

And the winner is...

Every year we have entries for the Great Idea Award and many times we do not have enough time to share what the great ideas were. In an attempt to give you a better idea of what those great ideas were all about, I have included a brief synopsis of the top three entries. If you would like to see all of the entries, click on the link at the bottom of the page.

First place went to the Alpha Iota Gamma, Johnson County Community College for their project collecting Halloween Costumes for children who were victims of domestic violence. The results of their project – 80 children received costumes for Halloween. “The case worker had tears in her eyes when she saw us unload a car full of costumes. She said ‘I don’t think you fully understand how much joy you are bringing. It means a world to these kids.’” I think that says it all. Great job Alpha Iota Gamma!

Second Place went to Tau Theta for their project “Involving High School Students in Phi Theta Kappa.” “This initiative included three goals: 1) making high school students aware of college opportunities; 2) increasing awareness of Phi Theta Kappa so more students would become involved; and 3) educating high school students about the international service project.”
As part of this project, students from the Tau Theta chapter made presentations about leadership to two area high schools. One presentation was to a National Honor Society group. The other presentation was to a Leadership Class. The chapter also held a booth at “Senior Days” for area high school seniors. Finally, the students invited a local NHS chapter to participate in the clean up of a city park. All of these activities helped to achieve their goals to help students think about college, know more about Phi Theta Kappa, learn about leadership, and participate in Operation Green.

Third Place went to Kappa Gamma for their project “Fire Prevention Activity with Boys and Girls Clubs”. The chapter collaborated with the Hutchinson Community College Fire Science Department to plan a Fire Prevention activity for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hutchinson. The activity included a Fire Prevention trailer that “helped the kids identify common hazards found in the home, such as hot pans on a stove or what to do if there is a fire at home.” Another activity included a “60 second drill in which the fire fighter is required to put on all their gear in 60 seconds or less. Then the kids were allowed to try on the fire equipment.” These hands on activities gave the students a new perspective and knowledge about basic fire safety that they can take home with them and prevent fires in the home.

There are many other ideas submitted this year, all of them are just excellent! I am so glad that advisors from the Missiouri Region judged these awards and not me!

-Susan Forrest, Acting Regional Coordinator

To see all of the entries, click on the following link to download the pdf file of all entries.
Great Idea Entries