Founders Day!!

[PiBP17]

Hello Fellow Pi Phis!!

As we all are aware, our founders day is approaching quite rapidly. Our house does have celebrations of course, but I was looking to jazz it up this year, try and make it a little more fun and a little less dreary.

I think it's really important to honor our founders and the seriousness of ceremonies are very special to me, but I was looking to try and make it a little more fun and maybe interactive for everyone. If anyone has any ideas, special or fun, I would LOVE to hear them!!!!!

Thanks so much girls!!

Much love in Pi Phi,

PiBP17

[dakareng]

The intent of Founders Day is to celebrate Pi Beta Phi sisterhood and heritage. I have seen this done in many ways. There are a variety of ceremonies available on the website (sisters only side.. PM me if you don't know where they are). If your chapter always does the same thing, maybe it's time for a change! Do you celebrate with local alumnae? Alumnae of your chapter? Chapters in your area? Founder's Day can be a luncheon, a dinner or dessert... just as a cookie shine can be with candy or not (try doing it like the original KS Alphas did it!) The ceremonies are important of course, but there is something to be said for making it more interactive. Tell us more about your chapter and we can help you more....

[PiBP17]

Our chapter has always had somewhat of what I would say is a serious ceremony. I was initiated last spring semester, so this will only be my second founders day. I do remember us having the candelight ceremony, I am unsure of the name, where each of the 12 founders is read and such (I believe it was called the magic of 12 or something?)

I thought it was beautiful, and I think it is really important for our new sisters that were just initiated to experience this like I did......... I just wanted to try and jazz it up a little. April 28th is toward the end of our semester and I know everyone is super stressed and wanting to peace out to study and such for finals.... so I was looking for something meaningfull, fun, interactive, but not horribly long and drawn out. lol, it's hard to please everyone, I just wanted to try something different this year.

Thanks so much for your responses!!
TTF,

PiBP17

[erniegurl00]

I liked how we did it my freshmen year. (Alas, I have missed the past two Founder's Days because we always have it on the weekend of my birthday.)

We rented out a nice reception hall on campus and decorated it with balloons. An alum made these really cute angel centerpieces, which for a very low price you could buy following the banquet. (I still have mine!) We served finger food and mingled with actives and alum. Next, we honored the seniors. That year we made a slide show will all of the seniors, and then the alum club president made a small speech about Pi Phi and "inducted" the seniors into her club.

It's simple but not dreary. Maybe you could choose a few alums to read a small blurb on why they joined Pi Phi? Or talk about some of their collegiate experiences? Just some ideas....

PPL,
Erin

[PiBP17]

Just a little more info that can help narrow down the suggestions:
We basically will be having any celebration at our house, our budget doesnt really allow us to have it anywhere else right now.

But I loved the idea of having some seniors speak. We have our senior week this week coinciding with any founders day celebration, so I think it would be great to do something with the seniors.

Again, thanks for all the ideas!

TTF,
PiBP17

[dakareng]

Having a celebration at the house can be fun too. Yes, the candlelighting ceremony is serious and meaningful but you can do more. Some chapters have the seniors (oldest members) read the parts, some the newest members... some actually vote for the 12 who most consistently demonstrate Pi Phi's values.

In addition to having seniors relate their Pi Phi memories, invite some alumnae... ask them to speak briefly on Founder's Day memories either as an alum or as a collegiate member.

A cookie shine doesn't have to cost a lot (believe it or not, the more recent trend of lots and lots of candy had developed within the past 20 years!). Does your chapter use a special sheet that members sign? I've seen chapters have members sign either at their first cookie shine after initiation or at their last one prior to graduation... some sign below their big sis, giving a kind of geneologic record to membership.

You could also ask each member to come prepared to share a poem or thought that expresses sisterhood to them either spoken or as a scrapbook page that could be put together for use either at future Founders Day or for pref.

If your chapter is too large for something like that, you can break into smaller grouos and ask each group to sing their favorite Pi Phi song (or create a parody song to share... a parody being Pi Phi words to a familiar tune).

The other thing that could be done is modifying dinner for the night either to make it fancier (still at the house so lower cost than a restaurant) or more casual (cookout). Either is acceptable.

Erin- thank you for sharing what your chapter does. What do other GC-ers do for Founders Day?

[Txsurfinwaves]

For our founders day, we are renting out the ballroom at the Omni Hotel in Dallas, and are celebrating with a luncheon and our alumni members/ collegian members of our province ( North Texas, SMU, and TCU) are all invited. There is more that is going on, some im not sure of, but I know they are throwing a special dinner for the seniors of our chapter with our alumni club.

[ChinaBuffet]

I'm from this past fall's NM class.
We are celebrating founder's day on the 13th. Does everyone do that or just us? and isn't founder's day the 28th?

[dakareng]

Founder's Day is the 28th in our hearts and minds but the reality is that it isn't practical to require every chapter/ club to hold events on the 28th. Some chapters are either in final exams or in the last week of class when (putting on my DA hat) we'd rather members be attending to their studies. Alumnae clubs who wish to have International/ Regional officers visit as special guests need to work around their schedules as well.

I will be going to two Founder's Day celebrations (sponsored by two different Alumnae Clubs) on the 17th and 24th.

[angelic1]

We always held a somewhat joint founders day.. for Pi Phi and VT since they always fall right around the same time.

It can be tough being right around finals times. A few times we had a short ceremony at the house then walked down to the duck pond (a VT park real close to our house) for a picnic together afterwards.

[PiPhiGirl2005]

We just had our Founders Day celebration yesteday afternoon. We invited area alumnae, did a ceremony, asked the alumnae to share stories and songs from their college days, and enjoyed punch and "Pi Phi cookies" (a chapter tradition - little round butter cookies with our letters on them that we order from a bakery here). The problem with our Founders Day is that there are very few alumnae in our area, but our AAC and House Corp. generally come and celebrate with us.

[angelic1]

Happy Founders Day!!!

[breathesgelatin]

Happy Founders Day to all my sisters!

[dakareng]

Whatsoever things are true,
Lovely, fair,
Beyond compare
Pure as is your arrow's gold,
Sweet as wine carnation'd hold,
Honest, just, of worth untold-
These hold ye in honor due
Best to serve the name ye bear;
Wearers of the wine and blue,
Choose these in your hearts to wear

HAPPY FOUNDERS DAY!!!

[Speechpath]

Happy Founders day everyone!

Ring Ching!