A Challenge Gift to Raise $25,000 for the “Rho Phi Charter Member Scholarship Fund” A $25,000 challenge gift has been issued by Rho Phi Brother Mike McKee (1984) and his wife, Joanne, to raise an endowed scholarship on behalf of the Founding Members of the Rho Phi chapter. Brothers whose names are part of this founding charter include: George J. Butkovich, Jr., Walter E. Dye, Gary W. Gladish, Gary L. Groff, John B. Hodsden, James M. Lowes, Robert C. Meyer, Gregory A. Montgomery, Richard Allen Newman, Richard L. Pace, Daniel J. Phelps , Theodore Mac Donald Smith, Stephen R. Whitesell, Bruce P. Williams, Steven C. Goble, Donald G. Morris, Loren C. Doyle, Thomas A. Dehne, James H. Graham, Sidney L. Stoffer, Robert H. Harrison, Thomas M. Hendrickson, Thomas Lee Jackson, Roger J. Martindell, Kevin Michael Patrick O’Sullivan, Jöel V. Sanders, Jay E. Sensibaugh, John M. Smith, Jay D. O’Sullivan, Albert D. Wernz, and Dale L. Zeleznik. In This September 2018 Issue: A challenge gift to raise $25,000 for the “Rho Phi Charter Member Scholarship Fund” 1848 Scholarship Winner Profile: Brother Griffin Steffy The 1848 Club Supporting Rho Phi while becoming part of the Chauncey Rose Society at Rose-Hulman 1848 Scholarship Winner Profile: Brother Louis Campbell 1848 Committee Chairmans Corner These brothers, or their surviving family members, have the choice to set up an endowed scholarship in their own name with a $25,000 contribution, or contribute to this charter member endowed scholarship as we head into the 50th anniversary of the chapter. Additionally, Rho Phi graduate brothers that would like to contribute to honor these founders can also make a contribution. Mike and Joanne McKee have pledged $25,000 of their own money toward an endowed scholarship in their name, as the Founders Endowed Scholarship is completed. Your generosity will help us to get two endowed scholarships completed at the same time! Please consider giving $500, $2,500 or even $5,000 toward completing this Rho Phi Charter Member Scholarship. Donations can be made using the form and information on the last page of this newsletter. If more than $25,000 is raised, it will be applied towards other Rho Phi endowed scholarships yet to be completed. Rho Phi Endowed Scholarship c/o Wes Bolsen - 1848 Chairman 12470 Bradford Dr. Parker, CO 80134 1848 Club Committee Reminder: Make plans now to attend the Rho Phi 50th Anniversary Celebration in Terre Haute from May 3-5, 2019. Reach out to your chapter contact if you have questions. More details coming soon! Wes Bolsen, Chair David Steinbock Ed Fain Jake Whitacre Joe Weist \r\n1848 Scholarship Winner Profile: Undergraduate Brother Griffin Steffy In the fall of 2017, the 1848 Committee awarded one of our first $1,000 scholarships. The award was given at the fall pledge retreat, where we initiated one of the largest pledge classes in our chapter’s history. The values of morality and academic excellence were discussed prior to naming the first of what will be many Rho Phi 1848 Scholars. The winner, Griffin Steffy, is a senior computer engineer and a very active member of the Rho Phi Chapter. Currently he serves as the chapter historian, a member of the Rose-Hulman varsity football team, and is in the Blue Key Honor Society. In the past he led the chapter Bible study and also coordinated multiple groups of brothers as they attended the Passion Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, where thousands of students gather annually to grow in their faith. Griffin spoke with great admiration when asked about receiving the 1848 scholarship. He said, “What I love most about this chapter is the opportunities it provides for its members, so the members can then create opportunities for the chapter.” The 1848 Club: www.RoseFiji.com/1848club Raising funds and endowing scholarships for Undergraduate brothers of the Rho Phi Chapter This is the year to become a member of the 1848 Club! That is especially true if you plan to come back May 3-5, 2019, for the 50th anniversary celebration. Brothers contributing to the fund annually will receive one free ticket to the Pig Dinner/50th celebration. “Younger graduate brothers” not yet able to endow a scholarship in your name, or contribute a larger tax deductible gift, can become a member of the 1848 Club with as little as $18.48 per month recurring or $221.76 annually. Our goal is to have at least 50 grad brothers that are contributing at this rate annually by the 50th anniversary celebration. Go to www.RoseFiji.com/1848club to find more information, as well as a list of the Rho Phi brothers that have already stepped up to become members. Supporting Rho Phi While Becoming Part of the Chauncey Rose Society at Rose-Hulman Did you know that becoming a member of the Chauncey Rose society, and receiving a plaid jacket, is a currently a minimum of a $50,000 contribution and is likely to increase in the future? If you are interested in figuring out how to establish an endowed scholarship at Rose-Hulman, while still support the undergraduate brothers of Phi Gamma Delta, please reach out to the 1848 Committee chair to help you work through the giving details with the development staff. Note that if receiving a plaid jacket does not interest you, an endowed scholarship in your name can be established with a tax-deductible donation of as little as $25,000 to the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation. 2 \r\n1848 Scholarship Winner Profile: Undergraduate Brother Louis Campbell Louis Campbell is a senior civil engineer with a 3.67 GPA and highly involved member of Rho Phi. During his junior year he was the service and philanthropy committee head. In addition to heading up established service events, he also looked for new opportunities for our brothers to get involved in the community like Habitat for Humanity and helping out with the local Council on Domestic Abuse (CODA) shelter. During his senior year he plans to stay involved with service but is excited to co-head the rush committee. He is also the president of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) on campus. During the 2017-18 school year, Louis was voted by Rho Phi to be the recipient for both the Five Value Award for Service and the Brandon Dean Couch Outstanding Brother Award. Louis says he was honored to be recognized by his brothers. Later in the year at our annual Pig Dinner, it was announced that Louis was selected as an 1848 Scholar. When asked what this meant to him he said, “It is deeply humbling to be selected amongst many deserving brothers, and I am very thankful for everything the 1848 Club has done and continues to do for our Fraternity”. Louis is a proud member of the Rho Phi chapter and is greatly looking forward to his senior year with his brothers. 1848 Committee Chairman’s Corner: A Note on Funds Raised to Date It is with great honor that I announce we are approaching half way toward our goal of having 10 endowed scholarships by the 50th anniversary of the chapter. The full list of graduate brothers who have stepped up will be announced at the 50th anniversary celebration on May 3-5, 2019, in Terre Haute. We have had $70,000 that was originally contributed to the Chauncey Rose society moved over to specifically support undergraduate brothers of Rho Phi for scholarships. We also had a large number of brothers, both graduate and undergraduate, fully fund an endowed scholarship in the name of Don Mighell during the inaugural Phi Gamma Delta Day of Giving on May 1, 2018. By having both the greatest number of gifts raised as well as the greatest amount raised, we were able to secure two $1,000 scholarships that were awarded in the fall of this year. In addition, my wife and I, Wes Bolsen (2000), are contributing $25,000 for an endowed scholarship for Rho Phi undergraduate brothers in perpetuity, and in this letter you see Mike McKee (1984) and Joanne McKee setting a challenge to raise a Rho Phi Charter Member endowed scholarship and contributing $25,000 for their own endowed scholarship when the charter member scholarship is completed. In addition, we were able to start an endowed scholarship in the name of Joeseph A. Weist for his untiring efforts to the chapter, and it already is close to half funded. We hope to have all of these, and more, fully funded before the 50th anniversary. If you are interested in setting up a tax-deductible contribution for your own named endowed scholarship, contributing toward the “Rho Phi Charter Member Endowed Scholarship” or contributing to the “Joe Weist Endowed Scholarship”, contributions can be made before the end of the year by clipping out the form on the back and attaching a check. With greatest appreciation for your generosity. Brother Wes Bolsen Email: Bolsen@gmail.com Cell: 650-387-9962 P! 3 \r\nPhi Gamma Delta Fraternity Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 1201 Red Mile Road Lexington, KY 40544 Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit # 540 Tax Deductible checks can be made out to “PGD Educational Foundation.” Please, fill out the form below and mail along with check to: Rho Phi Endowed Scholarship c/o Wes Bolsen - 1848 chairman 12470 Bradford Dr. Parker, CO 80134 Name: Address: Phone: Rho Phi endowed scholarship you would like to support: