Fighting Poverty in Binghamton

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 Needs Assessment.  There were many elements that were presented that stood out to myself and the class. One statistic that stood out tremendously was that there was, and still is a high rate of poverty in the City of Binghamton.

In looking towards philanthropic efforts to better the local community, the high poverty rate is definitely something that should be emphasized and focused on.  With this knowledge, the onus is placed on philanthropists in the area to be able to effectively and efficiently select the correct destinations to put forth their efforts.  Binghamton’s poverty rate is an epidemic that has drawn both attention and efforts from the local community and organizations. Organizations whose names appear a lot in the discussions surrounding poverty include both the Binghamton Community Advocates Project (BCAP), and the Binghamton-Broome Anti-Poverty Initiative (BBAPI), who work under the United Way of Broome County.  The BCAP recently took some steps in addressing the poverty issues in the area. In June of this past year, the organization, “hosted a free Empowerment Conference on Sunday designed to empower community members living in poverty, connect them that can improve their lives, and bridge gaps in the community”, (Discussing Community Strategies To Reduce Poverty In Binghamton).  The organization has also worked with the Binghamton-Broome Anti-Poverty Initiative under the United Way of Broome County.  The United Way is listed as a 501(c)3, and is a rather well known organization in the area, (Tax Exempt World).  They take non-profit funding which through their, “100% Promise”, all goes directly towards their community centered programs.  Through this, the BBAPI takes action aiming to reduce short-term and long-term poverty in the area. The organization hopes to accomplish these goals by developing partnerships, empowering communities, and “encouraging relationship building and community collaboration through purposeful systemic efforts to support the success of every resident”, (UWBroome).  The hope is that through these initiatives, those suffering from poverty will be helped and encouraged to get back on their feet and have success.   

Perhaps these organizations can take charge and give rise to even more initiatives.  Although not much content is provided of their events, the organizations appear to have strong stances and goals regarding how they will go about their programs.  Though the fight against poverty wages on, the efforts to address the issue definitely displays hope and potential for the future. If you are comfortable with the “100% Promise”, donations to the BBAPI/UWBroome could prove beneficial to help the organization fuel more initiatives.  It is informative to take note of such issues as we continue to learn about the local community, and hopefully more philanthropic efforts and organizations will soon arise and gain traction in fighting poverty.
Nick Galanti