SWAK
What is it?
Shop with a Kappa (SWAK) is a holiday event where a Kappa brother is paired with a student (age 5 – 12) to go on a shopping spree. PAC provides the student with a $100 gift card and the brother escorts the student through the store to help with budget, wish list, and time. There is no restriction on what the student can purchase with the gift card however, Brothers are encouraged to keep track of items to ensure the student does not go over the allotted amount.
History
SWAK was started in Las Vegas Alumni by brother Rod O’Neal. Rod was associated with the local police department which sponsored, “Shop With A Cop”. He expanded on the idea of doing a Xmas event for young people and called it, “Shop With A Kappa”.
In 2012, Phoenix Alumni started its own SWAK program. It was chaired by Brother Emory Flagg and hosted at Walmart in South Phoenix the 1st year and at Target later on.
Funding
The budget for SWAK ranges from $2,000 to $3,000 (depending on the number of participants). These funds are used to purchase $100 gift cards for each student.