For more than two hours on March 2, people with disabilities got to dress up at be at a formal dance that they likely missed in high school.
Nearly 70 members of Pi Kappa Phi alongside Best Buddies-Purdue sponsored a “Second Chance Prom” with clients of the Arc of Tippecanoe, a local agency serving the needs of people with disabilities. Those in attendance danced from music provided by a DJ and socialized at the Bauer Community Center in Lafayette.
“It meant a lot to me personally to be able to get this program re-started,” fraternity Ability Experience Chairman Joe Barbera said. “There is no better feeling that seeing the joy exhibited on clients’ faces, knowing that they have brothers to accompany them on the dance floor.”
Pi Kappa Phi members volunteer at other Arc events including a Halloween costume party each fall. They also visit “Life Has No Boundaries,” a local agency providing day assistance for people with disabilities, on a weekly basis with life skills and social interaction.
These outreach programs further augment the chapter’s commitment to service alongside The Ability Experience, the national fraternity’s philanthropic effort. Last year, the local fraternity chapter raised more than $20,000 in fund-raising with 25 percent of that total coming back to local service agencies.
