Phi Delta Theta - Iowa State University

George A Long III, Indiana Alpha 1413 Gr anville Moody Jr. Illinois E ta, 3/7/1914 #232 George A Long Jr., Illinois Eta, 6/6/1939 #586 Edward C. Loy, Indiana Theta, 4/5/1934 #504 Robert Strawbridge, Indiana T heta, 3/18/1937 #539 PHI DELTA THETA FRATERNITY 5 Iowa Gamma Alumnus Displays a Different Kind of Brotherhood By Matt Dayhoff, Journal Star W es Gray 1575 is proud that his Little Brother, 10-year-old Tra Farmer, was elected president of his fourth-grade class after a campaign that included a poster of Tra on an infinity dollar bill, a speech, and a last-minute tiebreaking vote. But even before Wes was named the Heart of Illinois (HOI) Big Brothers Big Sister's 2015 Big Brother of the Year, the pride went both ways. "I brag that my Big Brother is the best out of the other Big Brothers you can ever have," Tra said. Tra doesn't remember how long he had to wait before he was matched with Wes four years ago, but for the 85 children on the HOI BBBS's waitlist, more than 75 percent of whom are boys, they will have to wait a while, as Little Brothers can expect to wait between nine and 16 months for a boy to be matched with a Big Brother. Program Manager Jami Truelove said a lack of Big Brothers is a problem faced by the organization nationwide as more boys are enrolled in the program than girls, and fewer men volunteer to be matches compared to Big Sisters. "You interview this 5- or 6-year-old and they're so excited about the program, and you try to explain the wait, but kids don't understand time at this point in their lives," Jami said. "They're still at home asking their parent every single day." The need is even greater than what's reflected on the current waitlist. "There are many families that will call and ask about the program and want to get their son involved, and will decide not to because of how long the waitlist is." Some men are being eased into mentorship through the Lunch Buddy program, where a volunteer will meet a child at a school for lunch. There are now more than 130 matches in the program, which is in its sixth year. At the end of the school year, many of the matches will turn from Lunch Buddies to Big Brothers or Sisters. If a boy is younger than the age of 8, the program will sometimes match him with a Big Sister. But there are other situations in which the organization thinks the boys would be better with a male mentor. "A lot of the boys don't have a father figure in their lives, so we specifically match them with a male," Jami said. Once a man has agreed to be a mentor, the local BBBS group doesn't have trouble retaining them. The local retention rate is above the national average, with an average match being in the program around three years, and Lunch Buddies being partnered for around two. You can contact Wes at wesgray7@hotmail.com. And learn how you can get involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters at www.bbbs.org. Iowa Gamma Begins New Alumni Relations Program U pon graduating from ISU, we all leave Phi Delta Theta with high hopes of keeping our fraternal bonds intact. Unfortunately, we quickly find that many new interests—careers, families, and civic activities—can create valid diversions. The day-to-day activities of life take over and, before long we fall out of touch and begin to wonder what happened to our brothers. Without a solid alumni relations program in place, our members lack the means for staying connected to the Fraternity. With our recent capital campaign, we learned that many alumni very much value receiving The Iowa State Phi on a regular basis. It's your opportunity to see what's going on with your brothers and the chapter, as well as to learn about events tailored for you. With this in mind, we've embarked on an annual alumni relations program that is designed to help our members stay in touch and to cultivate awareness and involvement in Iowa Gamma. There are several elements that are key to the program's success. We will mail two newsletters each year containing alumni news, information on upcoming events, reports on various chapter activities, and current lists of undergraduate and alumni officers. The spring and fall newsletters will also contain a list of all those who contribute to the annual fundraising appeals. After the spring and fall newsletters, we will send out a letter detailing how you can help support the chapter and the house corporation. Due to the various giving patterns of our members, we believe that two appeals each year will be far more successful than just one. Some alumni may choose to contribute each time they receive a solicitation, while others might give a larger gift on an annual basis. We also realize that, occasionally, members will misplace the first appeal and the second one will give them another opportunity to support the chapter. The contributions received as a result of these semi- annual appeals will not only help sustain the alumni relations program, but also provide funds for ongoing house maintenance and programming that is deemed appropriate. We are sensitive that we just wrapped up a successful capital campaign, but with a house as large as ours, it is imperative that we continue to have positive cash flow to maintain it and ensure the investment that many of you have already made. Additionally, once a year, will we send out a biographical update that allows you to update the contact information we have on record. These updates also provide the information for one of the most popular features in the newsletters, the alumni news section. Altogether, the updates are a vital tool in maintaining our records and our ties with one another. We hope that through the Iowa Gamma annual alumni relations program your fraternal bonds are regularly renewed and strengthened. We are always interested in hearing from you, so if you have any suggestions, alumni news, or ideas for articles, please contact Steve Good 1645 at sgood@phideltatheta.org. Thank you for your interest in the chapter, and we hope to see you in the near future.

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