LLCC’s Phi Theta Kappa Sponsors Key Community Service Projects Over the Last Month

By Benjamin Cox on November 22, 2021 at 9:34am

LLCC Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society officers with donations collected for the LLCC Food Pantry in Operation Full Belly. L-R: Daniel Kloppe of New Berlin, secretary; Lindsay Auxier of Mason City, public relations officer; Sara Waller of Athens, president; Emily Reynolds of Hillsboro, vice president of scholarship; and Ava Austin of Virden, vice president of service.

Lincoln Land Community College’s Phi Theta Kappa society has hosted several key community service projects for their school community over the last month.

Over the past two weeks, PTK members collected 245 items for the LLCC Food Pantry and helped raise over $1,700 as part of Operation Full Belly. The project’s goal was to restock the college’s pantry with food and hygiene items as well as educate students on the services available to them. PTK also collaborated with LLCC Student Life and TRIO Student Support Services to assemble Thanksgiving-themed meal bags full of shelf-stable side dishes. Thirteen bags were prepared and delivered to students, with an additional seven students receiving grocery gift cards to purchase meals of their choosing.

In its community project, PTK sponsored a Legacy of Life organ donation day November 15th in conjunction with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Life Goes On project. PTK members signed up new organ donors in LLCC’s A. Lincoln Commons. An evening presentation emceed by Emily Reynolds of Hillsboro, PTK vice president for scholarship, featured remarks from Larry and Vivian Lefferts, parents of the late John Lefferts, a former LLCC student whose organs impacted 37 lives across the country; living organ donor Kenzie Dowding, who donated a kidney to her friend; and Damarius Blanks of Life Goes On. 

Phi Theta Kappa is advised by Dr. Claire Gordon, professor of communication. The honor society is open to currently enrolled LLCC students who have already earned at least 12 credit hours with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above.