Kappa Psi brothers win Outstanding Professional Program Award from Professional Fraternity Association

By WSU Applebaum Student Pharmacist Joseph Paul Javier

The past year has been a busy one for Wayne State’s Mu Omicron Pi chapter of Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity. Despite the limitations brought about by COVID-19, this professional organization has not slowed down it its effort to educate and serve the campus and surrounding Detroit communities. From educational seminars held on virtual platforms, various donation drives, and volunteering at local partner philanthropic organizations, the brothers of Mu Omicron Pi chapter of Kappa Psi have embodied what it means to be "servant leaders."

Wayne State's Kappa Psi brothers
The Mu Omicron Pi chapter of Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity: Noah Trotter, Hussein Safaoui, Daniel Frederick, Steven Conway, Obioma Opara, Fadi Manuel, Evan Johnson, John Purdie, Johnie L. Bailey, Lucas Crum, Joseph Paul Javier, Jad Kawas and Jacob Dudash.

The myriad initiatives instituted by WSU’s Kappa Psi brothers have not only made an impact in the metro Detroit area, but they have garnered national attention as the chapter won the prestigious 2021 Outstanding Professional Program Award from the Professional Fraternity Association (PFA), besting thousands of professional fraternities from all across the nation.

“Winning this award is a testament to the efforts and sacrifices of the entire Mu Omicron Pi chapter over the last year,” said Daniel Frederick, Kappa Psi’s immediate past president. “We devoted countless hours of our time to the community through medical education, food donations and childhood literacy. It was truly an honor to serve as president during a difficult year.”

“Our philanthropic and professional efforts have helped address the socioeconomic plights that ultimately afflict our community. Each of us has a duty to create the very best environment for ourselves our fellow Wayne State Warriors and the local families and children in the Motor City,” added Brother Johnie L. Bailey.

Mu Omicron Pi focused on combating food insecurity as well as improving childhood literacy with a number of philanthropic events and strategies throughout the year. The brothers supported Reach Out and Read, DMC Children’s Hospital, Auntie Na’s Village (a grassroots neighborhood organization that provides tutoring, medical services, childhood services, free food and clothes to those in the neighborhood), and the Southeast Michigan United Way with book donations and projects focused on literacy education. Through Up to Us, the brothers also educated the community on the impact that health care spending has on the economy and how financial literacy and health literacy can improve the lives of people in the community.

Kappa Psi letters made of books
Over the past year, WSU’s Kappa Psi brothers collected over 400 children’s book donations to donate to Reach Out and Read, local hospitals and clinics, and Detroit community centers.

“As a member of Kappa Psi, we are tasked with being the guardians of life. In a similar sense, Zaman International are guardians of the very same,” said Jad Kawas, the organization’s current philanthropy chair who connected the fraternity to Zaman International, which focuses on helping women and children refugees. “We uphold this task by learning and practicing in our profession and by also feeding and clothing the hungry. We strive to treat Detroit-area refugees with dignity and respect and help them build productive and healthy lives in their new homes in America.”

“Being an immigrant myself in Syria and the USA has definitely made me very grateful to have an opportunity to stand up for people that are currently struggling,” added Brother Fadi Manuel, who fled Iraq with his family in 2005. “In Syria, we relied on the UN to get school supplies as it was difficult for us to afford things given that my father lost his job once we left Baghdad. Fortunately, there were many people that helped my family and other refugees establish ourselves in the United States. They allowed me to pursue an education and to give back and have a positive impact on immigrants now.”

Mu Omicron Pi also supported families facing food insecurity with financial and food donations at the Islamic Center of America, CAPA Cares through the Council of Asian Pacific Americans, and the Wayne State Food pantry.

“Getting recognition for our efforts and receiving the PFA’s national award for Outstanding Professional Program of the Year award is an incredible milestone and means everything to the chapter,” said Noah Trotter, current president of the chapter. “What makes this special is that it required our chapter’s effort as a whole and does not just highlight one person. I’d like to salute all of our brothers and especially to my pledge brother Joseph Paul Javier. Without Joseph’s hard work, connections and dedication as our philanthropy chair, we would not have made this happen. At the end of the day, I’m incredibly proud of the efforts we put on display from fighting food insecurity during the pandemic to childhood literacy, it wouldn’t be possible either without the support of our classmates and other organizations who recognized our vision and helped us accomplish our goals.”

“Thank you to all of our friends, families, alumni, faculty and fellow Doctor of Pharmacy classmates at the WSU Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences who participated in our various philanthropy efforts this past year,” Brother Javier said gratefully. “This honor would not have been possible without your support and genuine want to help our campus and surrounding Detroit communities.”

The PFA is an organization dedicated to supporting professional fraternities and sororities preserving high standards on campus and in professional practice. It represents more than 100,000 undergraduate and graduate students on over 1,000 college campuses across the nation. Kappa Psi is one of 30 members. Learn more about PFA at www.professionalfraternity.org.

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