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Kindness prevails during COVID-19 pandemic

Donors come through for students in need

We think you're the bees knees! Image Credit: Jonathan Cohen.

More than 500 Binghamton University students have applied for emergency support to help mitigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. It was vital that the
race to meet that need was not delayed by red tape and insufficient funding.

Donors to the Binghamton Fund for Excellence stepped up to make the student grants possible. Students who met the criteria quickly received $500, on average, to battle food insecurity, make up for lost wages, buy technology to complete academic work remotely and cover other unforeseen expenses.

You did it

Binghamton Fund for Excellence donors gave nearly $164,000 from April–June for student emergency support, surpassing a gift-matching goal and multiplying their impact for students in need. An anonymous donor to the SUNY Impact Foundation agreed to match up to $50,000 of the gifts. Thank you for your support!

An anonymous donor made a $15,000 gift to support the cause. Here’s what other donors had to say about why they gave:

  • "We are a very fortunate family in so many ways, so when we learned that there were students at Binghamton University struggling with the basics because of the disruption caused by COVID-19, we immediately felt the obligation and the inspiration to provide assistance through the Excellence Fund.” — Jennifer Brink Schorr, MBA ’81
  • “We hope that our support along with support from so many others will help ease the burden felt by the students whose lives have been so disrupted. In the competition for success, the first hurdle is always survival, so we hope these students will be able to complete their education as life slowly gets back to normal.” — Lawrence J. Schorr ’75, MA ’77, LLD ’09

The Schorrs made their gift through their Schorr Family Foundation.

  • "There has not been a more important time during my adult life where I believe I have both the obligation and desire to support Binghamton University and its commitment to its students. This crisis is like no other I have ever experienced. The unanticipated varied hardships that it places on certain portions of the student body is a call for generosity and support. As an alumnus, I am eternally grateful for the education and life experience that I received at Binghamton. And so at this unprecedented time, I felt the need to be part of the positive movement and program assembled for the benefit of the student body to meet some of the challenges presented. I am grateful to be able to
    extend my own resources to reach to the call.” — Gary M. Tischler ’84
  • "The social relationships established during my four years at Binghamton and
    post-Binghamton continue to this day. As the COVID pandemic and resulting quarantine stretched from days to weeks, the desire for social interaction outside your immediate family grew. Accordingly, two of my fraternity brothers (Don Murphy ’94 and Chris Smalley ’94) set up a Friday night online happy hour. As the stories and laughter came pouring in from the many participants, I felt it was important to give back to the community that has given so much to me. So, I called and asked how I can help out. I hope the support of myself and others can make life easier for Binghamton students and employees that are in need.” — Vincent Daniel ’94

  • "We live in New York City and have a son, a physician, who treats COVID-19 patients at his hospital on a daily basis. We know well how families have struggled, and we feel it is important to help those students who have been adversely affected by this pandemic. By donating to the Binghamton Fund, we feel we are doing our part.” — Patricia A. Saunders ’65, LHD ’19, about
    the gift from her and her husband, Paul C. Saunders.

THE CARES ACT AND YOU

Find out how the newly enacted CARES Act may benefit you as you plan your charitable giving.