With the advent of the holiday season, the brothers of the Alpha Delta Phi Minnesota Chapter decided to get into the spirit of giving by giving back to their local community. Drawing from the fraternities literary roots, the brothers thought it would only be fitting for ADPhi to give the gift of literacy this holiday season. And thus, the first annual Holiday Book Drive was born. The brothers encouraged each other, alumni, and other members of the University of Minnesota Greek Community to collect any gently used books, ranging from Pre-Kindergarten to 8th grade level, and drop them off at the chapter house. On Thursday, December 16, 2010, the brothers donated over 800 books to the Concordia Creative Learning Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota. Concordia Creative Learning Academy (CCLA) is a charter school in East St. Paul, where 85% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. CCLA is the winner of the Minnesota Future Award given by the Minnesota Business Partnership. CCLA has no library of its own, so the teachers were very excited and appreciative of such a donation. The brothers were thrilled to pass on the literary values that the fraternity was founded upon to another generation, and thank everyone who participated. Given this year’s success, the brothers are looking to make the Holiday Book Drive an annual tradition.

Mark Kimitch