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In anything that you do, it is important to get involved and do things that mean a lot to you. Whether it be volunteering around your community or just joining clubs around your school, doing something that means a lot to you can make all the difference in not only your life, but other people’s as well.

One Bellwood-Antis Alumni has taken the extra step to get involved by helping others. Abby Bouslough, who graduated in 2013, is now a junior at Pittsburgh University currently in a Master’s program and is working towards being dual certified in Special Education and Early Childhood Education.

Abby is a founding member of Kappa Delta Pi at Pitt.

“My friends and I noticed last year how there was a lack of clubs available for education majors,” Abby said. “So we met up with one of our professors and were able to build an organization from the ground up. It started with a group of ten, and now we have over 50 members!”

According to its website, “Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), International Honor Society in Education, was founded in 1911 to foster excellence in education and promote fellowship among those dedicated to teaching. For over a century, the Society has consistently grown, starting with a local chapter to become the international organization it is today, with an initiated membership that exceeds 1.2 million.”

The organization’s mission is to advance quality education by inspiring teachers to prepare all learners for future challenges.

Kappa Delta Pi’s main service initiative is called Literacy Alive!  The requirement for this program is that they must do something with literacy awareness.

“Seeing it is out first year on campus and our first Literacy Alive! a ton is riding on the success of this program because  so much of our efforts have been placed towards this initiative. There have been tons of positives in planning for this, but we have also learned many lessons along the way,” said Kappa Delta Pi President, Marissa Calligan.

This year, the group decided that they wanted to focus on the city of Pittsburgh, naming their project “Booksburgh: Making readers of steel.” They will be going to Falk Elementary School on March 18 and April 1 and holding the program on both days.

“We will be reading the story “Lavi the Lion Finds His Pride,” and teaching the kids about pride in their school and community,” added Abby.

Along with the program, they will also be holding a book drive on campus and at the elementary school. Until April 8, Kappa Delta Pi’s chapter at the University of Pittsburgh will be holding the book drive in cooperation with the first Literacy Alive! Program. The goal is to raise 500 books for elementary students in the Pittsburgh area.

“All of the books donated will be going to Pittsburgh Public schools who are in great need of the supplies,” Abby said.

It is clear that this Bellwood-Antis Alumni is not only a hard working student, but also willing to go out of her way to do what is best. She is becoming a great future leader and educator!

“Abby, along with the two committees that fall under the Literacy Alive! Initiative, have truly put in an amazing amount of work in making this become more than just an idea,” Marissa added. “Throughout it all, the one thing I can say is that the end goal has never been out of sight, as Abby and the others, made sure that we never forgot that what we are doing is for the kids and nobody but the kids.”

If you would like to donate to the program, you can donate directly on the site, or you can take any books you wish to donate to Mrs. Bouslough’s room in the elementary school.