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Alumni Urged to Join MLK Jr. Day of Service

01/13/2015 

Alumni Engagement and College leaders urge all Red Dragons near and far to find ways to participate in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service in their own neighborhoods.

“Martin Luther King, Jr., was dedicated to a life of service and finding solutions to some of our country’s most difficult issues,” SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum said. “He once asked an audience: ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: “What are you doing for others?”’

community cleanup
The civic-minded spirit of SUNY Cortland students might serve to inspire alumni to look for ways to do the same in their hometowns.

“SUNY Cortland answers that question by asking our alumni to come together for a day of service to help in their local cities and towns,” he said.

“We are calling all Red Dragons to serve the communities in which they live on Monday, Jan. 19,” said Michael Sgro, executive director of alumni engagement.

That day, alumni also are asked to post their photos on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #CortandGivesBack, whether they are helping out at a soup kitchen or animal shelter, tutoring a disadvantaged child for free, installing drywall for a Habitat for Humanity project or paying a social call with an elderly, solitary neighbor.

 “I hope you will join us on this day of community service with the posting of pictures and messages on our College website,” Bitterbaum said.

The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the U.S. President's national call to service initiative, according to the Corporation for National & Community Service website that hosts the program.

Americans from all walks of life are asked to work together to provide solutions to America’s most pressing national problems.

Alumni can search for a community service opportunity listed on the MLK Day of Service network by using the SUNY Cortland Red Dragon Network’s “volunteer now” tab.

Alumni groups or organizations are encouraged to join the MLK Day of Service network, which can connect them with hundreds of other organizations and share project ideas, collaborate, generate volunteers and leverage resources on MLK Day and throughout the year.

Habitat for Humanity
The SUNY Cortland campus has a long tradition volunteerism. These students helped with construction of a Habitat for Humanity dwelling.

Then everyone will see that Red Dragon spirit of civic engagement, which recently earned the campus a second round of a national, community engagement elective classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

“Our College takes great pride in the dedication our alumni have to helping people and making a positive difference in their communities,” Bitterbaum said. “I look forward to learning how that compassionate spirit helps make the world a better place on this national day of service.”

 


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