A day of events, laughter and fellowship brought together more than 160 people at the April 18, 2026 Moms Day at Pi Kappa Phi.
The day started with moms registering their donated items – for both the public and silent auctions later in the day – then moved to the arrival of the 29th edition of the Pi Kapp 100 on Grant Street outside the fraternity house. After spending some quality time with their sons, the group moved to a reception hall for appetizers and to look through the 20 items for the public auction.
Auction items varied significantly from gift cards, snack baskets, an autographed basketball by Coach Matt Painter, customized bag boards, specialized Purdue purse and even a set of gumball machines. An Igloo cooler with Pi Kappa Phi inscribed on it with poker chips brought in the largest bid in the public auction. Proceeds from the funds helped cover the cost of the day’s activities and allowed successful winners to financially support The Ability Experience, our national fraternity’s outreach program assisting people with disabilities, if they so wished.
The auctions brought in more than $6,500 for the cause.
Following a buffet dinner, the program included comments from chapter president, Brayden Stanivoich, a Pi Kappa Phi mom, Robin Barbara, and a panel discussion.
Robin talked about how proud she was at the development of her son, Joe, while in the chapter and being a member of the 2024 national fraternity’s Gear Up Florida team.
“What I love about this – and all new moms will learn as well – is that Pi Kappa Phi is going to offer our sons a lot of opportunities to assume responsibility,” Robin Barbara said. “Joe first showed us the library at the house, where they actually do study. The other thing I like about their academics is that they would help each other with their studies or class selection.
“Joe has developed healthy habits as being part of Pi Kappa Phi and the friends he has made have metamorphosed him – he works out regularly at the campus gym, participates in intramural competition and crossed Florida on a bike. All of those things and more made it such a positive experience for Joe and we are very proud of him.”
The panelists who followed Mrs. Barbara included Alyssa Montgomery, executive director of Life Has No Boundaries which provides day services for more than a dozen adults with special needs. Others included Jody Clayton, a Pi Kapp mom of twin sons who rode in the 2025 Gear Up Florida event last summer and two chapter members – Joe Barbera, former Ability Experience chairman and a GUF rider, and Max Barnett, an undergraduate who has developed strong relationships with our partnership clients.
Alyssa talked about how she started working with the fraternity in 2008 when she was a special education teacher at a local high school. That fraternity partnership followed her when she left education and started her own non-profit specializing in day activities for people with special needs.
“The first year that the fraternity donated some of its fund-raising to my classroom, was such a surprise to us,” Alyssa said. “I was able to buy a computer for a student who was non-verbal autistic and it was awesome. When we would do the donation presentation at the School Board, it was nice that the Lafayette School Corporation members got to see the fraternity members first hand very well. The superintendent and his assistant were just thrilled seeing the guys interact with some of our students at the board meeting, too.”
When fraternity members volunteer now with her day services clients they help with life skills, playing games, socializing and learning things.
“My clients now get so excited to see their ‘Purdue friends,’ ” she said. “I try to do things on or near campus periodically so some of the brothers can just walk to be with us. The fraternity guys will read books for my clients who cannot read, they will meet us at restaurants, go to public parks and so on.”
Jody Clayton, mother of identical twins who joined the chapter and both rode in the 2025 Florida cycling trip, was initially unsure about her sons joining a fraternity.
“I am really proud of this organization despite my fears early on, she said. “When I came to my first Moms Day and heard about all the things they do for philanthropy that I am so proud of what these boys do.”
Then her sons told her they wanted to do a cycling trip during the whole month of May last summer.
“I was very proud that my boys were going to do Gear Up Florida and it was incredibly scary for me as a parent because there are things that can happen,” she said. “It was such a cool experience. I do remember checking every day on social media where they were at and what they were doing. It’s not just the bike ride they are doing starting at 5 a.m. for 40 to 100 miles a day, but after that they go to Friendship Visits at special needs centers.
Max Barnett, a freshman member of the fraternity, is a very reliable participant in the chapter volunteer relationship.
“We get to go to partnerships and hang out and do a lot of different things.” He said. One of his favorite clients is Sammy, who is legally blind, but has limited sight.
“She is the coolest person I’ve ever met,” he said. “Sammy is a talker, she’s a lover, she’s awesome. It kinda gives you a new perspective because for the rest of us, it’s easy to be in a bad mood. She gets excited telling me about her music therapy or going to a doctor’s appointment and I say, ‘alright, let’s go!’ She’s the coolest.
“Sammy is a big reason I keep coming back – just her perspective that she gives me on a lot of different things, it really, truly changed my life.”
For Joe Barbara, doing outreach with people with disabilities came naturally.
“I participated in Special Olympics at Purdue for the last four years and there are only four teams.” He said. “Luckily, my team has been able to make it to Purdue’s Mackey Arena every year for the finals. And most recently I had some special guests in the crowd – Cody and Chris – who I got to take on the court of the arena. They were pretty excited.”
Flashback to four years ago, Joe was not impressed by the fraternities he visited as a freshman.
“I went to a couple of fraternities during recruitment and they were pretty much the same,” he said. “Then I came to Pi Kappa Phi and the Ability Experience recruitment event where they talked about what they do for people with disabilities and the summer cycling events. And I said, ‘wow’ – a bike ride where you hang with people with disabilities? I need to join this chapter.”
The fraternity first started working with special needs classes at Lafayette Jefferson High School in 2008. Two years later, it was able to present the first Circle of Giving Grant a School Board meeting. The grants are available from the prior year’s Ability Experience fund raising totals. The most the chapter has ever been able to donate was $7,500 to an individual organization. At Moms Day, the chapter presented a check for $15,000 to Life Has No Boundaries.
“This is awesome,” Alyssa said. “All my clients will be writing thank you notes to our ‘Purdue Friends’ this next week. This donation is really appreciated.”
You can donate to the chapter’s annual Ability Experience fund-raising here. Through April 21, the chapter has raised $19,347 thus far during 2026. Thank you!
