Binghamton University students spend Alternative Spring Break serving locally
BINGHAMTON, NY — Students at Binghamton University are skipping the beach this spring break to give back to the local community instead. Approximately 25 students will spend two days helping out at six service sites in and around Binghamton on April 11-12.
Service projects include helping the American Red Cross raise awareness about their Home Fire Campaign; cleaning and painting at the Broome County Council of Churches offices; cleaning and performing maintenance tasks at the Crime Victims Assistance Center, Inc.; painting sets and organizing costumes at the Endicott Performing Arts Center; cleaning and organizing at the Family Enrichment Network; and improving the residence halls at the Broome County YMCA.
“Alternative Spring Break is a great opportunity for Binghamton University students to connect with the community,” says Tom Lamphere, senior staff assistant at the Center for Civic Engagement and organizer of Alternative Spring Break. “We place particular emphasis on reaching out to international students, most of whom do not return home during spring break. It is a wonderful way to learn more about the Greater Binghamton area, while helping a local nonprofit complete a project that they have not been able to accomplish otherwise. Our hope is that a long-term relationship may be established between our students and some local agencies. In the end, it is a win-win for everyone involved.”
Binghamton University’s Alternative Spring Break program began in 2013 with students traveling to New York City in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. Every year since, students have stayed in the Binghamton area, performing service at local nonprofit agencies. Alternative Spring Break is a collaboration between the Binghamton University Center for Civic Engagement and Office of International Student and Scholar Services.
For more information about the Center for Civic Engagement or the Alternative Spring Break projects, contact Laura Reindl at 607-777-4287 or email cce@binghamton.edu. Visit the CCE online at http://www.binghamton.edu/cce/students/events.html.