SBU’s Newest Seawolves Take Part in Community Service Day

Students joined with Alternative Spring Break Outreach to clean up West Meadow Beach. Photo by Rachael Eyler.

On August 24, nearly 350 incoming first-year and transfer students woke up early to participate in Stony Brook University's fourth annual Community Service Day, making their first impression on the campus and the surrounding community.

Organized by the Career Center and the Center for Service Learning and Community Service, this Welcome Week event offered students a chance to connect with one another while contributing to the university and surrounding community.

Stony Brook Interim President Richard McCormick welcomed students and set the tone for the day, addressing the students with a message of purpose.

"The best scholars are engaged, empathetic, and eager to repay their debts to those who nurture them," he said. "By stepping up to serve right at the beginning of your time at Stony Brook, you're already carving out your place in our large and diverse academic community. As a public university, our mission is not only to teach and conduct research but also to serve. Today, you're participating actively and directly in that mission."

Students worked alongside the Community Garden student group, seeding, transplanting, and harvesting. Photo by Sean Gribbin.

Across the three campuses (West, East, and Southampton) and the surrounding community, participants took part in 14 diverse service projects designed to foster a sense of community and encourage a commitment to volunteering.

The day's projects were varied, allowing students to choose an opportunity to engage in a cause that is meaningful to them:

• Beach Cleanup: Students joined with Alternative Spring Break Outreach to clean up West Meadow Beach, learning about local wildlife and the importance of coastal conservation.
• SBU Food Pantry Project: Volunteers processed and sorted donations to support those facing food insecurity within the Stony Brook and Long Island communities.
• SBU Community Garden: Students worked alongside the Community Garden student group, seeding, transplanting, and harvesting.
• Support the Homeless with LI Coalition for the Homeless: Volunteers assembled 547 snack kits to be distributed to Long Island's homeless population.
• Help Stony Brook Child Care: Future educators and caregivers lent a hand at Stony Brook Child Care Services, gardening, cleaning, and fixing toys, ensuring the Center's children a safe, welcoming environment.
• Tech Talks: Students guided local seniors through the complexities of modern technology.
• Serving America's Heroes: Three different teams honored veterans at the Long Island State Veterans Home, decorating Patriot's Road with chalk art, engaging with veterans in the Adult Day Program, and participating in recreational activities for residents.
• Brighten the Brook: West Campus: Volunteers planted trees, bushes, and flowers, contributing to Stony Brook's campus beautification efforts.
• Brighten the Brook: East Campus: Students supported the Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Micro-Farm, working to ensure that fresh, organic produce continues to reach patients at Stony Brook Medicine.
• Brighten the Brook: Southampton: At the Southampton campus, students exceeded expectations by building four planned planter beds instead of the two planned beds, doubling their impact on the FoodLab's horticultural efforts.
• Deliver Cheer to Children: In partnership with the Little Saint Nick Foundation, volunteers packed 300 gift bags filled with toys to bring smiles to children at Stony Brook Children's Hospital.
• Disaster Relief Cot Cleaning with Red Cross: Volunteers cleaned and prepared 160 emergency cots for use in crisis situations across the region.

Stony Brook's newest Seawolves proved they're not just here to learn - they're committed to serving Stony Brook and the local community.

- Beth Squire

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