The Daily Bulletin Archive

’Tis the holiday season—a most fitting time of year to be charitable. Buffalo State has been active during the months of November and December in giving back to those who are less fortunate in the community. And there are many opportunities for faculty and staff to still get involved.

The Institutional Advancement unit and the Foundation Accounting Office are sponsoring a local family through the Salvation Army’s Emergency Family Assistance Program. The family will receive an assortment of much-needed household items, clothes, and toys later this month. Anyone who wishes to participate should contactClaire Collier, development associate for Institutional Advancement, at 878-5206. Unwrapped gifts, money, and gift cards may be delivered to Cleveland Hall 312.

The Alumni Affairs Office, College and Community Partnerships Office, and Volunteer and Service-Learning Center teamed up again to help the Friends of Asarese organization. Last year’s clothing “sale” turned into a giveaway this year. The event was held on Saturday, December 6, at the Asarese-Matters Community Center. An estimated 100 families received bags of warm clothes donated primarily by Buffalo State faculty, staff, and alumni.

“People were overly generous this year,” said Michele Graves, partnership associate with the College and Community Partnerships Office. “We were really impressed, especially with it being such a tough economic year.”

Additionally, a collection of toiletry items for members of the Asarese-Matters Community Center is under way. More than 130 bags of items have already been gathered, but more are welcome. Anyone wishing to donate items should stop by the Alumni Affairs Office, the College and Community Partnerships Office, or the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center; all are located on the second and third floors of Cleveland Hall.

United Students Government (USG) organized Poverty Week from November 17 to 22 to benefit the Western New York Food Bank and Vive, a local refugee center. A competition among residence halls yielded more than two large barrels of canned goods and nonperishable items as well as bags of clothes.

A party at the end of the week through WBNY-FM 91.3 called “Rock for Socks/Jam for Cans” charged students an “admission” fee of canned goods or clothing. The Buffalo State student chapter of NYPIRG, the New York Public Interest Research Group, also organized a sleep-out to collect more items and raise awareness of homelessness. Altogether, more than 420 pounds of food was collected for the Western New York Food Bank.

But one event during Poverty Week—a “poverty banquet”—was an especially moving experience, according the Kanasha Kennedy, USG’s administrative vice president for community affairs. More than 65 students attended; each was given a colored card upon arriving.

“Most received purple cards, some received blue cards, and very few received yellow cards,” Kennedy said. “The purples had to sit on newspapers and eat oatmeal, the blues sat on chairs and got themselves pizza, and the yellows were seated at a table and were served a three-course meal. But by the end, students began to share food.”

“This helped students learn how even the most seemingly small actions of the upper class can profoundly affect the lower class, and how easy it can be to work together,” she continued. “Unbeknownst to us, one student who attended was once homeless and decided to share his story at the end of the event. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place after he spoke.”

Employees through CSEA Local 640, most notably those with Campus Services and the Financial Aid Office, supported a food drive for St. Lawrence Parish in Buffalo. Additional items, including food, clothing, and money, are being collected for a second drive. Items may be dropped off during business hours through Friday, December 19, at the Financial Aid Office, Moot Hall 230.

A team of students and faculty from the Exception Education Department participated in a “Polar Plunge” on Saturday, November 22, for the Special Olympics. Led by department chair and associate professor Kevin Miller, the team raised $7,000—more than any other participating team.

The department also contributed to a project organized by the Student Council for Exceptional Children. Together with Kappa Delta Pi (International Honor Society in Education) and Best Buddies, they created 90 holiday baskets for Hopevale. The baskets were individualized according to age and gender and included a card and photo of the volunteers. They will be delivered next week.

The Elementary Education and Reading Department is pooling money to support a high-poverty-school program listed on www.donorschoose.org. Donations to the site help fund items such as books, classroom supplies, and curricula.

Many additional charitable activities have likely taken place in recent weeks or are in progress. Faculty and staff are encouraged to support the ongoing efforts of the college. Happy holidays to all, and thank you for your continued generosity.