Binghamton University students raise funds, send donations for Turkey earthquake victims

Bora Gonen won’t forget how he learned of the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey in early February. It wasn’t from headlines flashing on a news broadcast, nor from a post he scrolled past on social media.

He got a late-night phone call. It was from a friend and fellow Binghamton University student who urgently asked, “How are your parents doing?”

Gonen, a senior in the Binghamton University School of Management business administration program, frantically texted his parents in Turkey to confirm they were safe. Fortunately, he said, they weren’t in the area affected by the Feb. 6 earthquake. But Gonen learned a friend’s father had been among the more than 50,000 lives lost.

Eager to contribute toward relief efforts, Gonen joined fellow students in Binghamton University’s Dual-Diploma Program (DDP) and the Turkish Culture Association (TURCA) in February to raise funds and collect other essential donations for victims of the earthquake.

The DDP is an undergraduate program in which about 150 students spend half their education at Binghamton and the other half at a university in Turkey. TURCA is a student organization for those affiliated with or interested in Turkish culture at Binghamton University.

“As a Turkish citizen, I had to help. It made you realize how fleeting life is and to appreciate everything we have,” Gonen said. “In the face of such tragedy, it’s important to remember we’re all connected as human beings.”

The students’ fundraising and collection efforts included:

• Raising about $3,000 from selling Turkish and other baked goods. They sent the money through Google, which offered to double the donations, resulting in a total of about $6,000 sent on behalf of Binghamton students.
• Packing one 16-foot truck and another 10-foot truck with clothing, insulated tents, sleeping bags, diapers and many more donations gathered by students to be sent to the Turkish Consulate in New York City.
• Tabling in the University Union to share information about organizations accepting donations.
• Working with Oktay Sekercisoy, the senior director for global partnerships and adjunct professor of international business and international marketing, to organize a remembrance event on campus to allow members of the local Turkish community to grieve and support each other.

“We don’t want people in Turkey to feel alone and we’re sure our contributions will help,” Gonen said. “Individually, it might not seem like much, but small efforts like these will accumulate and become very impactful.”

“In the wake of such devastation, the number of essential items gathered by our students quickly surpassed any expectations. These donations are urgently needed in Turkey, as many face the winter without housing,” said Assistant Director for Dual-Diploma Programs Allison Nyamuame. “While there is still so much needed to help rebuild, we’re proud of our students who worked together to make a difference.”

In addition to business administration in SOM, the DDP includes students from global and international affairs in Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, as well as information systems and systems science and industrial engineering students in the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science.