With nearly 250,000 members, Mortar Board is a national honor society focused on community service. Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the UO Mortar Board Society, the University’s chapter, is hosting a book hunt for children.
Mortar Board members will hide plastic eggs filled with candy and slips for free books on the Humpy Lumpy Lawn, located at Agate Street and East 15th Avenue by Hamilton Hall.
“The idea behind the book hunt is just to promote children’s literacy,” said Mortar Board Vice President Lisa Poplawski, a University senior majoring in economics.
Literacy is UO Mortar Board’s main issue; the group has also organized book drives, including one that sent textbooks to correctional facility libraries.
“The person in charge at the local jail said some remark about, ‘They’re not that smart; we don’t need your textbooks,’” Poplawski said. “The entire idea is just access to a level of education with no limit. If only one person reads, it’s one person who had access to stuff they never had before.”
Other campus organizations involved include Ancient Order of the Druids and the Key Club.