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Kelly Shimkus of Sodexo carries a box of holiday gifts collected for the Student Association’s Holiday Drive. At bottom, Binghamton Mayor Richard Bucci looks over some of the gifts with SA organizers Rebecca Patt and Jacqueline Rubin while Peggy Zaharis from the SA and Mary Haust from the Binghamton School District look on. The annual drive is one of several gift drives on campus to help less fortunate families in the community. | ||||
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The Binghamton University campus is coming together to provide some help and holiday cheer to those who need it most.
This season marks the 12th year for the Student Association’s Holiday Drive. On Monday, December 3, the Student Association held a press conference to present its gifts to officials from the Binghamton City School District, which who will distribute them to needy families in the district.
"It’s definitely one of the best events the we put on as a Student Association," said Rebecca Patt, executive vice president of the Student Association and co-coordinator or the event with Jacqueline Rubin. "I really enjoy being a part of something that benefits so many people and is such a good cause."
Gifts purchased by University faculty, staff and students will help about 45 families this year — well above the goal of 37 families.
"This is a real outpouring from the University community to the City of Binghamton," said Binghamton Mayor Richard Bucci. "By helping our most vulnerable families, you are really helping the entire community. We are very appreciative of everything the University is doing, especially around the holidays for some of our families who are in need."
The SA event was just one of several gift-giving events on campus this year. Residential Life worked with the Salvation Army to help area families, the Public Safety/Parking Service Office is sponsoring a Toys For Tots collection, and this year the School of Management and the School of Human Development teamed up to meet the need for gifts at the Children’s Home of the Wyoming Conference.
The SA drive was initiated in 1989 by students who, through their interaction with the Binghamton City School District, saw the need for a project of this kind. The drive provides wrapped holiday gifts to local, needy families identified by the school district staff. University departments and other individuals are given lists of names, ages and gift requests to fulfill. Participants purchase toys and gifts that are collected and delivered to MacArthur School for distribution.
"It’s really, really rewarding," says Peggy Zaharis, administrative assistant for the Student Association. "When you read some of the profiles that come in from these schools, you could just cry. I mean, some of the kids don’t even ask for toys. They’re asking for necessities that we take for granted, like a haircut, toiletries, shampoo… You know, it really breaks your heart."
"I work with these families every day," said Mary Haust from the Binghamton schools who has been with the project since its inception. "I know what they are dealing with. And the fact that people so unselfishly can say ‘Tell me a little bit about them and let me run with it,’ means a great deal. These families know that somebody, who they don’t even know, cares… It’s a different message. And it’s not a message they hear often."
The holiday spirit is contagious. Residential Life has sponsored its "Hand-to-Heart" drive since 1996. This program provides holiday gift bags for needy children up to age 12, distributed through the Salvation Army. Since the Salvation Army is limited to handing out two pieces of clothing and one toy per child, these bags are an "extra" for each child. The holiday gift bags contain toys, school supplies and personal items. This year’s goal is to collect at least 1500 gift bags.
"I participated as a student," said Christina Ritter, resident director College in the Woods who coordinated this year’s drive with Linda Frechette, also a resident director. "I wanted to be part of it again. It’s a great way for students, faculty and staff to do something for the community. We have volunteers from each building come together to help us put everything together. We get a lot of help."
Also since 1996, the Public Safety/Parking Services offices have placed collection bins around campus for new toys to benefit the Toys for Tots campaign, put on by the Binghamton Police Benevolent Society. "The number of toys collected varies from year to year, but on average we collect approximately 1000 toys," said Gail Yaus, assistant director of Public Safety/Parking Services.
To add to the good will, Parking Services raffles off five days of free parking on campus to four donors who register to win.
This year the holiday spirit was given a boost by faculty staff and students of School of Education and Human Development and the School of Management sponsored a gift drive for the Children's Home of the Wyoming Conference. The home, experiencing a shortage of gifts for its residents this year, approached BU looking for assistance in getting gifts for about 100 teens. Giving trees were put in both schools and students, faculty and staff drew names from the trees and sought to meet the teens' wish lists.
Not only do these projects help the community, but they have intrinsic value as well. "I think it’s really crucial that students learn a sense of civic engagement and civic spirit," said President Lois B. DeFleur, "and that we reinforce it among each other. This university is very compassionate and very giving. I am very proud of the whole University community."
| December 6, 2001 Vol. 23, No. 15 |
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