30 Days of Giving 2017 – Day 13: SUNY Poly Gives Back Throughout the Region

SUNY Poly students outdoors in front of a table with Make A Wish table drape.

In addition to the numerous monthly outreach efforts by SUNY Polytechnic Institute faculty, staff, and students at both SUNY Poly’s Albany and Utica campuses to give back to the local and regional communities regularly. This year, many efforts took place with great results. SUNY Poly is proud to highlight the following engagements:

SUNY Poly volunteers with NYS Dept of General Services clean up outdoor park space.
Ahead of Earth Day 2017 (SUNY Poly) partnered with the City of Albany to help refresh the bike-hike trail along the Hudson River. SUNY Poly faculty, staff, and student volunteers worked with the Department of General Services to revitalize the surrounding area by picking up debris, in addition to raking leaves. The event was part of an annual Earth Day effort emphasizing SUNY Poly’s commitment to improving the environment and serving the community.
Bags and boxes of toys at SUNY Poly Adopt-a-Family event.
For the second year in a row, SUNY Poly is partnering with the Albany County Department of Child, Youth & Families to Adopt-a-Family this holiday season. Last year, SUNY Poly supported a local mother and her four children by purchasing items off their holiday wish list. Many of the items on their list were household necessities. SUNY Poly faculty, students and staff went above and beyond by fulfilling everything on their wish list and more—making their 2016 holiday one they will never forget. This is just one example of how SUNY Poly is supporting its communities and standing with those in need.
SUNY Poly university police in the command center showing no-shave November faces.
In conjunction with the national initiative known as No-Shave November, SUNY Poly University Police bring in donations that allow them to skip a shave and let their facial hair grow, with funds going to Amazing Gracie’s Gift Foundation. Established in memory of Gracie Lawton, who died before her second birthday from a rare form of cancer, the foundation focuses on helping children and families through their fight with cancer, providing support, hope, and memories to families fighting pediatric cancer or a life-threatening illness. Memories are one of the most important gifts you can have when your child is faced with a life-threatening disease, and the organization aims to help families create memories that will last a lifetime. SUNY Poly does a lot to ensure the success of their communities, not just this season, but year round.
Wildcats Care is a club on SUNY Poly’s Utica campus that performs both volunteer and community service to students along with specialized events that better the campus and local Utica community, including The I-90 Cruisin’ Car Show benefitting the Make-A-Wish foundation of CNY for many years. The group also helped start the annual Relay for Life at SUNY Poly benefitting the American Cancer Society, and helps assist local nonprofit organizations, such as the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, which sells new and used items to the public to benefit Oneida County Habitat for Humanity. Through Wildcats Care, members regularly contribute time and energy to assist the Utica Zoo, the Humane Society of Rome, Spring Farm Cares Animal Sanctuary of Oneida County, and the Rescue Mission in Syracuse.