The Kappa Delta Pi Educational Foundation has honored Oswego State’s chapter of the education honor society with a Silver Achievement Award for its 2011-2012 Literacy Alive! program.

Literacy Alive! is Kappa Delta Pi’s signature service initiative and was formerly known as Reading Is Fundamental. According to the Kappa Delta Pi website, the program reaches out to an average of 24,000 children, adolescents, and adults every year. The programs can range from one-day events to semester long programs.

“Around the country, each Kappa Delta Pi group does a Literacy Alive! project,” explained Sandra Kyle, an advisement coordinator in the curriculum and instruction department who advises the Oswego chapter.

Ashley Maher, an adolescence education and English major, headed up the project for the Epsilon Omega chapter as its president. According to her, the $100 award honors the chapter for “community service and pursuit of excellence in education.”

Ten students in the chapter worked with a kindergarten teacher at Fairley Elementary School in Hannibal one day in December, last year.

“Our members read books aloud to the students and also donated over 50 books for the students to take home with them,” Maher wrote about the program.

“Our donations helped put books in the hands of kids who may not have many at home,” Maher said. “The students were excited about the event and felt appreciated, especially when we interacted with them in small groups to facilitate our ‘create a snowman’ activity.”

The chapter also raised funds to buy books for the students. “We included almost all of our members in the fundraising process for the book donations,” Maher added.

Kyle said chapter members donated $500 in books to the local bookmobile.