Learning by Giving at Binghamton University: 2020 Edition

The organization that I will be pitching for is called, Save the Children. This organization has been incredibly successful over the years. It has been established for 100 years, which has allowed it to complete many missions to increase opportunities for children, and protect them from any harms. Save The Children has a multitude of first responders who are dedicated to transforming the lives of severely underprivileged children in current desperations. Some of the main focus’s that Save The Children have are on children’s health, education, protection, policies and advocacies, and emergency responses for children. Some current responses that Save The Children is involved in now are with the children who are being torn apart from their families along the Mexican border, dealing with the collection of problems dealing with the humanitarian crisis’s in Yemen, and responding to children who are displaced in sub-zero conditions. I thought these were incredible feats that this organizatio...

Cancer is one of the most debilitating and dire diseases. Unfortunately, many of us know someone who has had cancer. We know the intense struggle it is for not only the innocent victims of the disease, but also their family and friends. Even with advances in medicine and technology, there is no easy path to curing cancer, and there are many hurdles patients and families must overcome in order to live a life cancer free. Some of these hurdles include just the daily struggle to do the things that they enjoy, trying to maintain a sense of normalcy, while dealing with the severe side effects of chemotherapy and other poisons in their body. But other hurdles include things that don’t immediately come to mind when you think of cancer, such as medical bills, social life, education, etc. Many of these problems are exacerbated when the patient is a child and it is often overwhelming or impossible for families to deal with these on their own. Thankfully, there are organizations that fulfill th...

The American Civic Association is a charitable organization that works to provide important legal and social services to immigrants and refugees looking to create new lives in the Greater Binghamton region. The mission of the association is to preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity of these immigrants, and to promote cross-cultural understanding. Their mission statement speaks directly to some of the founding ideals of the United States, that anybody deserves the right to immigrate and create a better life for themselves.             This organization is currently located on Front Street in downtown Binghamton. They work closely with immigrants, refugees, and their families by providing various types of assistance. Some of these services include citizenship and language classes, legal workshops, employment assistance, and cultural education. Their doors are open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as Frid...

            Boys and Girls Club of America is a national organization that provides a place for youth to go and reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. The goal of the organization is to be a safe space for children to go when they are not in school and to help every child that enters their doors to reach their full potential.             There is a Boys and Girls Club located in the City of Binghamton, and it is a space for youth ages 5 to 18. They have afterschool programs that run from 3pm-7pm, and they have activities for teens on Fridays and Saturdays that help to keep teenagers off the streets. They also provide services on Snow Days and School Holidays to ensure that these kids have someone to care for them while their parents are at work.             This organization is especially important in the Bi...

The charity I chose to advocate for is the Innocence Project, a movement that exonerates those who have been wrongfully convicted and reforms the criminal justice system by addressing the issues that convicted the innocent in the first place. The mission of the Innocence Project began in 1987-1988 when founders Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld believed the story of a Bronx man who was wrongfully convicted of a robbery-rape and attempted to exonerate him through DNA evidence. Although forensic science and the knowledge surrounding DNA were substandard at that time, attorneys Neufeld and Scheck were aware that there were plenty more innocent civilians stuck in the criminal justice system. In 1992, the Innocence Project was established with the intent of freeing the wrongfully convicted and shine a light on the system that locked up the innocent. The 501(c)(3) organization provides free legal representation to clients to exonerate them mostly through DNA evidence, supports exonerees finan...

Poverty,  as we all know, is one of the most pressing issues in today’s society. A child born into poverty typically ends up becoming extremely poor when he or she becomes an independent adult. Fortunately, nonprofit organizations like ChildFund International have made it their moral duties to break this generational cycle of poverty. The mission of this organization, in fact, is to “help deprived, excluded and vulnerable children [across the world] have the capacity to improve their lives ... [through education].” The mission of this organization, to me, is very compelling. I resided in a developing country for over sixteen years, and I’ve seen firsthand the lethal effects of poverty. Although I haven’t felt it myself, I’ve been to places where people struggle to make ends meet. The good thing, though, is that more and more organizations are beginning to understand the implications of this issue. Most of them are also beginning to understand that something can be done to uplift...

Al Otro Lado is a bi-national organization in California that provides relief and services to deportees and refugees through their Border Rights Program, Deportee Program, and Litigation Program. The mission of this organization is to uplift immigrants by defending their rights against the injustices that exist within the legal system. They also fight for families that have been torn apart by immigration laws.  There were a total of 997,509 apprehensions at the Southwest border in 2019 ( U.S. Customs and Border Protection ). In the majority of these cases migrants are forced to “go back home” due to government programs, such as the Migrant Protection Program, which restricts migrants from crossing at the border. This program more than often leaves migrants in difficult situations, which puts them back in the danger they were trying to escape in the first place.  Before my college career started at Binghamton University, I had only understood the state of the border and th...

If you’re craving good Asian food in New York City, the chances are that you’re probably headed to Chinatown.  Chinatown has become a well-known attraction for NYC residents and tourists, who come to get their taste of culture and mingle with the fabled street vendors.  A neighborhood that once served as a convenient and affordable location for Chinese immigrants to settle down has now become a living symbol of Asian culture in New York City.  However, its rising popularity has also brought along detrimental effects. As Chinatown gains infamy among tourists, politicians and developers have taken note and are trying to ride the momentum to turn it into the next great tourist destination .  The plan? Luxury. Luxury buildings, luxury stores, luxury services. There is no concern for what these developments have done and will do to the people who have made Chinatown what it is today.  The rapid changes in Chinatown can best be understood by the term, gentrificat...

How do people choose how to act? They are motivated to make decisions based off of their personal values. These values are the defining features of who we are, and more importantly, where we choose to focus our philanthropic activities. For class, we were asked to reflect on our core values. Some core values I hold are family and community. Family means something different to everyone. Although I feel a sense of family with those to whom I am biologically related to, some do not have that connection with their blood relatives. Those that do not have a sense of family at home, usually find it in people that are close to them, like friends, teachers, or members of their community. Family and community are so much deeper than just common ancestry, and are defined by the way they care and support their other members. These core values derive from my connection to my family, and the effect that they have had on me to overcome challenges. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. I...

The United Nation predicts that we only have a little over 11 years to prevent irreversible damage from climate change. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global organization that aims to tackle climate change, protect land and water, provide food and water sustainability, and build healthy cities. Zooming out, TNC is a global non-profit organization that focuses on innovative, science based solutions to climate change. They protect more than 119 million acres of land globally. Right now, they have a plan to ensure protection of up to 1.5 million square miles of the world's most biodiversity-critical ocean habitats. This is crucial because scientists estimate that 90% of coral reefs will be gone within our lifetimes. This is incredibly effective as ocean protection shows that in just 10 years, a study in Mexico shows that it conservation reversed tolls of decades of overfishing and increased fish stock by 400%. Some of their other projects involve carbon capture, refinancing costa...

I never did chores for an allowance. My high school job paid above minimum wage. I lived in a family that was well off, went to a high school that gave me a great education, and participated in clubs and programs that gave me a résumé good enough to end up in a top public university. I never knew financial struggle, and never sought to help the world through the various social work clubs in my high school, be it Amnesty international, Habitat for Humanity, or any other. I am, as many would classify me, privileged.  As a result of this privilege, I entered this class with a very limited knowledge of philanthropy, that is to say, how I can be a philanthropist. I don’t feel a close connection to any charitable organization the way others in the class do, or lived in a situation where an organization was beneficial to my community. My high school perception of philanthropy can be summed up neatly by a geofunders.org editorial: “[Privilege] shows up as a lack of understanding… as t...

The New York Marine Rescue Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to rescue and rehabilitate stranded marine mammals and sea turtles, as well as to educate the public and conduct research. As part of their marine conservation efforts, they also conduct research on the species they rescue, and offer education opportunities to schools and the general public. Because all four sea turtle species living in New York waters are endangered, the Center has been increasingly focusing their efforts on sea turtles. And they play a prominent role in local rescue and rehabilitation efforts; their rehabilitation center for sea turtles and marine mammals is currently the only one in New York State. While I don’t have a direct connection to the New York Marine Rescue Center, its efforts are still very important to me. Like many people, I have always cared deeply about the environment and conservation efforts, and as the climate changes around us, and because of us, these issues have...

If you’ve ever touched someone’s life in a way you never thought imaginable, held someone’s hand through a tough time, or given your time to something that you believe in, then you are a philanthropist. It took me years to come to this realization. There are many common misconceptions about philanthropy. Among them is the notion that philanthropists are only comprised of an older generation of upper class men. Naturally, that makes many of us feel as though we can never become philanthropists. Of course that could not be more inaccurate. However, there is one thing that all philanthropists share. You need to care about where your time and money are going. You need to educate yourself. And in my current position as a sophomore at Binghamton University, what better way is there to do that than to take an experiential philanthropy course? As soon as I saw the course appear, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. My mind immediately went off to the races as to what I hoped to gain from the co...

The Crime Victims Assistance Center (CVAC) provides resources and support to victims within Broome and Chenango County. They try to tackle the issue of sexual assault and human trafficking in many different ways in the free services that they provide: crisis line, counseling, legal aid, educational workshops, child advocacy, etc. CVAC’s generally serves 1,500 community members per year. Their mission is to provide compassion and comfort to community members that have been wronged by crime and in a time of need. The help survivors on their journey to find peace and open a dialogue about assault/abuse within the community.  CVAC is involved in the four local university’s but I think especially Binghamton. They table at many events on campus for the CCE to provide information about their programs. As well as a special tabling event, to reduce the stigma of survivors and resources on how to get help.  They have helped the SA President in developing a sexual assault survey fo...

It has been said that climate change is our generation’s issue. I also think it is the most pressing issue in the world right now, for everyone. Although I do not have a personal history with a climate organization, I do connect to the cause. There are plenty of groups to choose from, but the Coalition for Rainforest Nations is the organization I would like our class to support in an effort to combat climate change. The Coalition for Rainforest Nations is an intergovernmental organization that works across Africa, Asia, the Carribean, Central America, South America, and Oceania. Formed in 2005, they now span 90% of the world’s rainforests through over 50 member nations. Their mission is “to create sound and long-lasting opportunities for environmental sustainability, social and economic advancement, strengthened capacity and international market reform in a manner that enhances tropical forest stewardship, biodiversity conservation and global climate stability by reversing the destr...

Environmental philanthropy is a vastly underfunded industry. In fact, one study conducted by Philanthropy New Zealand found that out of 412 organizations that identified themselves as funding the environment only 4% of their philanthropic donations actually went to the environment ( Philanthropy New Zealand ). This is consistent with other studies which attest that only 4-6% of all Western philanthropy goes towards the environment with an even smaller contribution of 2% globally. So, why does the environment receive such meager donations and what can we collectively do to change this? Some funders and grant makers say the issue isn't lack of funds or denial of applications, but rather a lack of environmental applicants. An executive from Wellington Community Trust speaks to the vicious cycle created "because we [grant-makers] are not explicit enough in telling them we fund [the environment], and then because people don't ask for it, we fund less" ( Wellington Commun...

In the world of philanthropy, a common theme that is often discussed is the importance of learning about and helping one’s local community.  In class this past week, we focused on learning about both Binghamton and Broome County, and their needs and challenges. With a visit from the Executive Director of the Community Foundation for South Central New York, Diana Brown, the class really got a good understanding of these concepts.  To me, this only raised the prevalence of just how important understanding your local community can be in a philanthropic sense. When it comes to putting forth your time, efforts, and money, having the proper knowledge of your local area is essential.  Possessing a good understanding as such can make a huge impact in the decision making and overall successes of one’s philanthropic efforts.  In Binghamton and Broome County specifically, the class analyzed some data that was provided by the Community Foundation for South Central New York N...

Zimkids Orphan Trust is an organization committed to combating the epidemic of more than 180,000 HIV positive children in Zimbabwe and more than a million children who are orphaned because of this crisis. They are providers of a new home in the Pumula North, Bulawayo where doctors are scarce, urban neighborhoods are without water or electricity, and unemployment averages 90%; they have created a new home for community, support, and hope for the future since 2006. These children are also empowered by the Trust through vocational training and education. The mission of Zimkids is also to get the commoner in the Western World oriented with traditional Zimbabwean charity through creative and healthy relationships with their donors. I personally worked with Zimkids Orphan Trust in high school, directing a fashion show to raise funds during my junior and senior years. There, we were able to accrue donations from local retailers such as Becca Cosmetics, LuluLemon, LF Clothing, and Calvin Kl...

            Yuda Bands stems from the Spanish word, ayuda, for help, aid, or assistance. Their mission is to combat poverty by giving the opportunity of education for youth in developing countries, primarily Guatemala, while also cultivating them into leaders. This cycle of impoverished parents not being able to afford sending their kids to school who will then turn into parents that also cannot send their kids to school can only be broken by giving them the education they need. While providing education opportunities in Guatemala, Yuda Bands also has a mission to teach American youth about issues going on in the world around us and the importance and influence that education has on changing lives.             In high school, I worked on the Yuda Bands project with my school’s Key Club. The project works by selling handmade bracelets, called Yuda Bands, at $7 each for about two weeks. We we...