Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 
At the 1910 Convention in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, Emma Harper Turner outlined a plan of the Washington, D.C. Alumnae club to establish a Settlement School in the Appalachian Mountains to be dedicated on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Fraternity. The decision of this convention to authorize an altruistic project enhanced Pi Beta Phi's prestige as a recognized leader in the fraternity world. It took the Fraternity out of the category of a self-interest group and directed its energies toward service to mankind. Others have followed, but Pi Beta Phi was the pioneer - the first national fraternity for women to have its own philanthropic project.

Soon after convention closed, investigation of possible school sites began. Grand President May L. Keller, Anna Pettit and Emma Harper Turner set out for Tennessee, and into the mountain districts that had been designated by the U.S. Bureau of Education as the most in need of schools. Dr. Keller made the first trip into Gatlinburg. Travel to there was over some of the worst roads in Tennessee. There were no bridges, and fording the river was necessary. The schools were mostly one-room wooden structures. Most of the teachers had never attended high school, and consequently were teaching the children to the highest level that they had completed - fifth grade. The area was deprived of household economics, health care, higher education, and scientific farming. Gatlinburg was finally chosen as the school site. With the appropriation of $500 from the Endowment Fund of the Fraternity, the Pi Beta Phi school was opened in March of 1912. 

As it became evident that Pi Phi's responsibility for elementary and high school education facilities in Gatlinburg would be phased out, the Settlement School committee approached the University of Tennessee with a plan to bring instruction on the college level to Gatlinburg. It was the committee's idea to develop an arts and crafts program at the Settlement School. The first 6-week workshop was held in 1945, with credit given in weaving textile design, recreational crafts, woodworking and community recreation.

Over the years, the buildings on Settlement school property were converted to dormitories, new buildings were erected and others renovated to facilities for the expanding needs of the Craft Workshops. These workshops culminated in the establishment of the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.

Links to Literacy
In order to provide a philanthropy in which all Pi Phi chapters and alumnae clubs can participate, the Fraternity, in early 1990, selected literacy as a service project for Pi Phis. There are few communities that do not have some functionally illiterate adults or children struggling with basic reading skills. In keeping with the Fraternity's original educational mission at Settlement School, alumnae clubs and chapters today are helping to identify and fill the literacy needs within their local communities through "Links to Literacy."

Chapters find local agencies or schools that welcome their help through book-distribution or one-on-one interaction with pupils who need extra attention as they learn to read. Through active involvement in literacy programs, Pi Beta Phis advance the founding purpose of promoting the happiness of humanity.

Arrow in the Artic
At the 1967 Convention, the Canadian delegates voted unanimously to adopt the Northern Libraries Project to commemorate the dual centennial of Canada and the Fraternity. The name, "Arrow in the Artic," was officially adopted in 1969. 

Donations from Pi Phis everywhere have provided support for the many branches of the library systems in the Yukon and Northwestern Territories. While the Canadian government supplies an adequate budget for the purchase of basic books, there is little available for the extras that add to a library's usefulness. Money from the Arrow in the Artic Project has provided expensive reference volumes, a video recorder to tape legends and folklore in the Inuit language, and the necessary books and periodicals for an Indian Resource Center. More than $25,000 has been donated to the library system.