New Beginnings in Louisville

Every March, Pi Phi collegians, alumnae and friends come together to celebrate Fraternity Day of Service (FDS), an annual event dedicated to giving back, advancing literacy and promoting the power of reading.

As part of Read > Lead > Achieve®, Pi Phi’s philanthropic effort, FDS reflects the Fraternity’s belief that reading is the foundation for lifelong success. Held on March 8 in Louisville, Kentucky, this year’s FDS Signature Event marked the kickoff to Pi Phi’s 2025 Convention. In partnership with First Book®, literacy volunteers distributed 10,000 new, culturally diverse books to local schools, after-school programs and community centers serving children from low-income families and Title 1 schools.

Among the recipients of these books was J.B. Atkinson Academy in Louisville, where Family Resource Center Coordinator Lisa Hirsch has spent the past 25 years working to remove non-cognitive barriers to education. Her mission is to ensure every child at her school feels safe and empowered to pursue their passions. “Approximately 97% of our 460 students qualify for free or reduced lunch,” Lisa explains. “Many of our families must focus on providing basic needs before purchasing books. Access to books is important because we want to level the playing field for all our students.”

Lisa first learned about the FDS Signature Event through an email from First Book and saw it as an opportunity for her students to collect new books, build home libraries and spark a lifelong love of reading outside of what is required at school.

A 2001 study by Susan B. Neuman and her colleagues at NYU Steinhardt found that low-income neighborhoods often have just one age-appropriate book for every 300 children, compared to one age-appropriate book for every 13 children in middle-income neighborhoods. “Oftentimes, children living in poverty don’t have a printrich environment at home,” Lisa says. “These books will give families access to reading materials they might not have otherwise.” With support from The Literacy Fund at Pi Beta Phi Foundation, Lisa is helping to close that gap, one book at a time.

J.B. Atkinson Academy has made reading an integral part of its school culture. From an annual book fair and a free-book table at family engagement events to a new book vending machine in the school lobby, students are constantly surrounded by stories. Every day, the school sets aside time for students to “drop everything and read.” This daily practice allows students to read whatever book they choose at that moment, rather than what’s assigned in their curriculum. “Everyone should have the opportunity to read—I see reading as a way to take a vacation, to learn something new, to go somewhere you might never have been before,” Lisa says. “Having access to stories they might not have in their daily lives is an amazing opportunity for our students to learn about different cultures, places and experiences.”

A 2019 study published in Social Science Research found that growing up with an at-home library is linked to greater academic success, stronger vocabularies and improved job prospects later in life. “Some homes have books, and some don’t, and that’s not equitable,” Lisa explains. “The ability to read unlocks opportunities for people. I want my students to be able to choose what they want to do when they are older so they can pursue their passions rather than feeling stuck in a job.” Access to books—at home and in school—can help achieve educational equity, especially for students in underresourced communities.

Lisa’s commitment to the community at J.B. Atkinson reaches beyond just academics. As Family Resource Center Coordinator, she oversees health services, afterschool programs, family literacy initiatives and a schoolbased pantry.

One of Lisa’s favorite traditions is conducting back-toschool home visits with teachers. “We visit all of our students before school starts to welcome them back and deliver bags with information and books,” she says. “Families and school staff are always excited about the new school year.” This fall, she plans to distribute “First Day Hooray”—one of the books received during the FDS Signature Event—to incoming kindergarteners. “It’s a book about first-day-of-school feelings, and I thought it would be cute to give all our incoming Kindergarteners that book so they can read it together before the first day of school,” Lisa says.

Stories like Lisa’s are a testament to the fact that books contain more than just stories; they contain tools for growth and opportunity. Through Read > Lead > Achieve initiatives, Pi Beta Phi promotes literacy as a critical step toward a more equitable society. Thanks to the generosity of donors to The Literacy Fund at Pi Beta Phi Foundation, thousands of children across Louisville now have access to new books that can help ignite a love of reading and inspire each child to imagine the future they deserve.