For SUNY Orange, the holidays are a time when the “community” in “community college” takes a front seat as the campus seeks ways to serve its community through giving. Through its “Adopt a Family” initiative, the SUNY Orange community works with local agencies to identify families in need of a little extra help around the holiday season.
In 20 years of “Adopt A Family” campaigns, students and staff have adopted, in total, more than 1,000 families since the program began in 2003. This year alone, 32 families were adopted, each being provided with a gift card in the amount of $92.50; a total giving amount of $2,960.
The success of this year’s program was made possible through sponsoring agencies Fearless Hudson Valley, Presidential Park Elementary School, and the Newburgh Enlarged City School District. Each of these agencies provided SUNY Orange with 10 families to support, along with an additional two families we adopted from within the campus community.
