SUNY Cortland Celebrates 'Giving Back' in the Form of Philanthropy

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Philanthropy Week events at SUNY Cortland take place from Monday, Nov. 10, to Friday, Nov. 14.

CORTLAND, NY (11/10/2014)(readMedia)-- Before SUNY Cortland gears up for football in the form of Saturday's Cortaca Jug game, the College will celebrate Philanthropy Week on campus. It will highlight all of the time, talent and treasure Red Dragons everywhere give back throughout the year.

Case in point: last academic year, more than 3,500 students contributed roughly 204,024 community service hours through service-learning, internships and volunteering.

Philanthropy Week events, featuring giveaways for students and information on how they can give back to important causes, take place from from Monday, Nov. 10, until Friday, Nov. 14.

National Philanthropy Day falls this year on Saturday Nov. 15, the same day as the annual rivalry game between SUNY Cortland and Ithaca College.

"We would like to celebrate all the great things our students do for the community and how SUNY Cortland is preparing them to be successful in their world outside Cortland," said Jennifer Janes, director of The Cortland Fund. The fund is the College's annual giving program, which benefits students directly with the money it raises.

More than 80 percent of SUNY Cortland students will have a hands-on learning opportunity before they finish college, fostering in many of them a lifelong will to do good in their local community, Janes noted.

"The week also lets us highlight all the great things our alumni do in return for the great education they received, whether it's to establish a scholarship or to return to campus to speak to students," Janes said.

New this year, organizers of Philanthropy Week will devote five full days instead of three to the enterprise, said Kara St. John, assistant director of The Cortland Fund.

"This week is a great chance to really educate our community about different ways to give back to the College," St. John said.

The effort aims to emphasize "thanking the College's donors and letting them know their investment in our future is paying big dividends," St. John said.

From Monday through Friday, College students and staff members will be available to offer their insights into ways people give back to SUNY Cortland - whether it's with their time, talent or treasure - from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at three tables on the ground floor of Neubig Hall.

At the "Time" table, representatives of the College's Institute for Civic Engagement (ICE) will showcase how members of the campus have engaged with the community by donating their time, talent and energy for many worthy causes.

At the "Treasure" table, members of the Student Philanthropy Council and of The Cortland Fund will give students a chance to write "thank you" cards to alumni. The representatives also will host a trivia game in which prizes will be offered. Additionally, the future philanthropists will announce the Senior Class Gift.

The "Talent" table, staffed by Student Alumni Association members, will give these students a chance to thank their faculty and staff for their generosity.

Students also are invited to keep up by tagging tweets and posting images with #CortlandGivesBack.

When National Philanthropy Day arrives that Saturday, there will be an online gallery of images taken from the week as a way to thank donors, St. John said.

The generosity of many caused the annual giving program to see a 15 percent growth in donors and a 4 percent growth in dollars during the last fiscal year, Janes noted.

"These increases demonstrate the confidence that our alumni have in the future of Cortland," Janes said. "Their investments help us provide a valuable educational experience for the next generation. Our students will have opportunities to learn and grow because of the generosity of others."

And it's worth noting that 80 percent of the gifts the College received last year were for $149 or less.

"Small gifts add up to giant opportunities," Janes said. "When many students join with thousands of alumni, together they can contribute to something great."

She was perhaps referring to last Feb. 27, the date of the College's first-ever 24-hour fundraising challenge. That Thursday, 871 students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and friends responded to the 2/27 Challenge by raising a total of $102,857 to support scholarships, undergraduate research, athletics and other priorities, more than tripling the number of donors in its initial goal.

For more information about the events, contact St. John at 607-753-4910.

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