First Ever Emily C. Specchio Dance-a-Thon.

To all that loved Emily.

I have been waiting for the moment to say something… It will always be impossible to put into words the impact Em has had on my life. It is impossible to explain but after a semester of travel through Europe this past fall, I finally found the way to show my thanks to Emily for all that she has taught me.

Last semester, through the architecture department of Virginia Tech, I stayed in 18 different cities with 36 other classmates; by far one of the most unbelievable opportunities of my life to this point. Emily had always described the amazing experiences she had while studying in Switzerland, but before traveling yourself it is impossible to comprehend the amount you learn about both yourself and life. There is so much to say about the many times I thought about her over the course of the trip; it was constant. The best summary I have been able to come up with is the following…

I have and will ALWAYS admire Em’s philosophy on life, I may never be able to live it as well as Em, I am sure that I won’t, but after a semester in Europe I have certainly begun to understand it.

With this being said as Co-Chair along with Amy Cheung, I, Melissa Richard, would like to invite you, on behalf of the Alpha Rho Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi here at Virginia Tech, to the first ever Emily C. Specchio Dance-a-Thon to be held March 31, 2007 from 10am to 4pm at Gilbert Linkous Elementary School in Blacksburg, VA.

For more information and/or to register, please visit http://www.phisigmapivt.com/. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at mel7713@vt.edu.

Proceeds from the event will be donated in Emily’s name to Teach for America, Phi Sigma Pi’s National Philanthropy.

And to Em, I miss you dearly and think about you each and every day. I know you were along side me my entire trip; the photographs, paintings, and writings I did in your memory prove it. I do and always will love you. in my heart always. ECS. in loving memory.