Dear Pi Kappa Phi Moms,
This spring marks a very exciting time for Pi Kappa Phi, as we will be hosting our 12th annual Pi Kapp 100 benefiting Push America alongside our highly successful Mom’s Day events. This 100-kilometer cycling event starts in the early morning of April 14 in Zionsville, IN and concludes at the fraternity house, 330 N. Grant St. All riders and crew members will be sponsored by their friends and family to support their ride and effort to bring more money to our charity.
Push America is Pi Kappa Phi’s own philanthropy, where money goes towards helping the disabled. Nationally, Pi Kappa Phi and our chapter partake in many different events each year for this charity. This year as well as years in the past, brothers from the fraternity partner with special needs classes at Lafayette Jeff High School. Brothers take time each day to visit the members of the special education classes and assist the teachers with daily activities and developing life skills.
Furthermore, four of our chapter’s own members – Peter Bassick, Nick Eckstein, Eric Miller, and Brett Poncsak – will be our chapter’s 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st representatives in the Journey of Hope, which is a cross-county cycling event that raises funds and awareness of Push America. In addition to those riders, Erik Moeller will be a crew member for the ride while chapter alumnus David Stinnette – who participated in Journey of Hope as a student – has been selected as a project manager for the 25th Anniversary ride.
The Pi Kapp 100 takes place on a very special weekend for us here at Pi Kappa Phi. The weekend of April 14 is Moms’ Day on campus alongside Spring Fest, a showcase of campus wide events. It’s a huge event that you certainly do not want to miss (approximately ninety percent of the chapter members mothers attend coming from as far away as Alaska).
We have many events scheduled for the day including the following:
- Brunch – 11 a.m. to noon. A buffet-style food selection for our moms and their guests (yes, other family members are welcome to attend, but the focus is on the moms).
- Pi Kapp 100 Arrival – 12:30 p.m. Welcome all the riders back to the house for the completion of the ride
- Meet the President and Advisor – 12:50 to 1:30 p.m. Our president, as well as chapter and academic advisors will speak briefly about the status of the chapter. Furthermore, we typically have a keynote speaker who talks about the benefits of Push America.
- Moms’ Reception – 4 to 5 p.m. Moms and guest are invited to a BYOB cocktail reception after spending the afternoon with your son
- Auction – 5 to 6:30 p.m. Bring items from home, purchased on campus, or lying around in your garage for an auction
- Moms’ Night Social – 9 p.m. to ? A chance to have your son show you a good time on Purdue’s campus
One of the most intriguing parts of the day is the auction. For this portion of the day we ask mothers to bring and donate some sort of gift for other families to bid on. We have a silent auction in addition to the competitive bidding auction to account. Items that have auctioned in the past include Pi Kappa Phi sports apparel, beer signs, wall hangings, gift baskets (with snacks and drinks), lottery tickets, Cubs or Sox tickets, gift certificates, and yes, even potted plants). Auction proceeds fund house improvements or Push America – donor’s choice. Most recently, we have renovated a large area of our basement with new benches, table tops, a big screen television and Great Hall furniture.
If you plan on bringing an item to the auction, please register it with Michael Schmierer (historian@purduepikapps.com), our chapter’s Historian, with your name, a description of the item, a suggested starting price, and if would prefer for it to be in the silent auction or the normal auction. He will then post all auction ideas on the chapter website, purduepikapps.com (Service link, then Pi Kapp 100 link). You can use this site to track what others are bringing and watch for what you might want to buy.
We sincerely hope that you and your family will be able to attend our Moms’ Day celebration. Below, please find some phone numbers for a couple local hotels:
Hilton Garden Inn 765-743-2100 (WL)
Best Western 765-447-0575 (Lafayette)
Hampton Inn 765-447-1600 (Lafayette)
Holiday Inn 877-859-5095 (Lafayette)
University Plaza Hotel 765-463-5511 (WL)
Baymont Inn & Suites 765-449-4808 (Lafayette)
Union Club Hotel 765-494-8913 (WL)
It is very important that you make reservations early as possible because there can be more than 25,000 visitors to campus that weekend. We also ask that you RSVP to Michael Schmierer (historian@purduepikapps.com) so that we can provide enough food for everyone in attendance.
We look forward to seeing you and your family on April 14 and hope that you will enjoy all of the events that we are setting up for this exciting day, if you have any questions feel free to contact Michael Schmierer (Historian@PurduePiKapps.com)
Sincerely,
Alexander Prichodko Michael Schmierer Branden Sowers
Archon Historian Push Chair
archon@purduepikapps.com historian@purduepikapps.com push@purduepikapps.com