Students unite for Day of Service to honor, remember and give back

Binghamton University’s Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) organizes volunteer-driven Day of Service events that encourage students to support local causes, build relationships across campus and the community, and engage in service with real impact. Each fall, the work takes on added significance as it coincides with the 9/11 National Day of Service, the largest annual day of service in the United States — a day of remembrance that encourages Americans to honor those lost by giving back through acts of service.

This year’s service projects were supported by a Partners for Campus Community Engagement (PCCE) grant, in collaboration with 9/11 Day and AmeriCorps, which provided equipment, transportation and refreshments for volunteers at three service sites. Binghamton University continued its long-standing participation in the United Way of Broome County’s Day of Caring through projects with VINES Community Garden and the Binghamton Police Athletic League (PAL) Camp. At VINES, students helped transform a vacant lot in Johnson City into a community garden by cleaning the site, building and filling raised beds, mulching and planting. Additional PCCE grant support also enabled a new project at Willow Point Nursing Home, where volunteers revitalized the courtyard garden and restored the space for residents’ enjoyment.

This fall marked the CCE’s third service event at PAL Camp since the partnership began last September. It became the largest effort of the week, bringing together more than 50 student volunteers who collectively contributed 130 service hours. Located on 66 acres just outside of Binghamton, PAL Camp has served children in Binghamton since the 1950s as a nonprofit organization that provides a free five-week summer program, including transportation. PAL Camp relies on grants, donations and local foundations to fund its operations, as well as a team of year-round and seasonal staff. In May, students helped complete the camp’s hiking trails, and they returned in September to carry out trail maintenance and add hiking markers to ensure children’s safety.

Leading the effort at PAL Camp is Matt Lewis, an investigator with the Binghamton Police Department who has served as president of the camp since 2020. When Lewis first stepped into his role, attendance had dropped to just over 20 children a week. Under his leadership, the camp has grown to serve more than 100 children each week.

“Binghamton University volunteers help us complete projects that otherwise would have been impossible,” Lewis said.

For Sean Stevenson, a sophomore studying neuroscience and biomedical engineering, volunteering at PAL Camp is about more than just the work. He returned this year because of the community he found there. For Stevenson, volunteering is a break from studying that lets him be part of something bigger.

“It’s a really nice way to calm down from studying,” Stevenson said. “It’s nice to do something that helps other people. Even small things make a difference when everyone shows up.”

Building on the momentum from these events, the CCE plans future service events to strengthen bonds, undertake new projects and continue to provide students and community members with opportunities to work together.