Stony Brook University has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for three categories: General Community Service, Economic Opportunity and Education, and Honor Roll with Distinction for Interfaith Service.
Launched in 2006, the Honor Roll acknowledges colleges and universities that focus on community service and service learning for solving community problems. It is part of the Corporation for National and Community Service’s strategic commitment to engage millions of college students in service and celebrate the critical role of higher education in strengthening communities.
Stony Brook continues to provide opportunities for students, faculty and staff to be involved in sustained, lifelong community engagement. The University’s application for the Honor Roll, compiled by Joan Dickinson, Director of Community Relations, highlighted approximately of 130,000 hours of community service for the past year, with more than 10,800 students involved.
Some of the many campus community service projects include:
Students Helping Honduras
SBU students joined other colleges for a trip to rebuild a community through the service organization, Students Helping Honduras. Students helped build a new elementary school in a country desperate for resources to educate its children, many of whom are orphaned and living in poverty.
Camp Kesem for Kids of Parents with Cancer
Camp Kesem at Stony Brook supports children in the Long Island community by providing a free, week-long summer camp experience and year-long peer support. The camp is operated by more than 50 student volunteers and 28 counselors, and serves 100 campers ages 6-16 per year.
Distracted Driving Program
The Distracted Driving Awareness program from the Center for Community Engagement and Leadership Development is presented to local high schools to show young drivers how to be safe on the road.
Science and Technology Entry Programs
The STEM Smart research group develops programs that provide support to underrepresented minority and economically underserved students, focusing specifically on engaging students in the STEM fields.
SBU Unite for Nepal
When the earthquake hit Nepal in 2015, student organizations coordinated relief efforts, not only activating their own groups, but also rallying a dozen international and national organizations to work with them to create the “Unite for Nepal” fundraiser.
In addition, Stony Brook’s Interfaith Center serves the community by providing counseling, guidance and opportunities to serve others through community engagement. Some of the Center’s projects include the Midnight Run, when students bring donated clothes and food to New York City to share with the homeless, and the Special Needs Sing-Along, where students and staff serve food and facilitate singing and dancing with special needs adults.
For more information about getting involved with community service projects on campus, visit the Stony Brook University Community Relations website or email Joan.Dickinson@stonybrook.edu.
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