Alumni spruce up communities with #BingPride

At first glance, it didn’t look like a lot of garbage. But when volunteers hiked the country roads of Maine, N.Y., their large, orange bags filled surprisingly fast. Although volunteers couldn’t pick everything up in two hours (who could?), they were proud to have come together to make their community a little better.

Multiply this effort by 65 and you have the third annual Alumni Global Day of Service, held in April. More than 800 volunteers participated in alumni-led and independent service projects feeding the hungry, cleaning up parks, taking care of furry friends and lending hands to a variety of other endeavors. Volunteers made their presence felt in nine states, and projects also took place in Malaysia and Madagascar.

Held each spring, this event brings Binghamton alumni together to show #BingPride and pride in their communities by volunteering for efforts they find meaningful.

Steve Kahn ’91, Alumni Association board member and Alumni Global Day of Service committee chair, led a beautification project for the second straight year at Long Island National Cemetery.

“The highlight for me was reliving stories from Binghamton with alumni and friends while covered in sweat and dirt, and watching a group of good people working hard for a great cause,” he says.

Alumni around Philadelphia served at Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore, processing and organizing donated items, and providing customer service.

“It was a unique and successful kick-off event for our new chapter,” says site leader and chapter co-leader Jennifer Gay ’01. “It allowed alumni from all years to engage in dialogue about the project and exchange memories of years at Binghamton. It also helped to introduce new members and brainstorm future events.”

In South Florida, home to another new chapter, Jennifer Siesel ’92 and Sean Lebowitz ’04 led a group of alumni in making blankets for people suffering with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

“We had alumni from all areas represented,” Siesel says. “It was wonderful to network with the alumni, build camaraderie and truly make a difference to people living with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Binghamton-area projects were supported by Visions Federal Credit Union, a nonprofit financial institution based in Endwell.