This month we’re highlighting the work of juniors Shachar Avraham, an Integrative Media Communications Major, and Zoe Liebman, a Political Science major, who recently brought the Knock Knock Give a Sock initiative to Binghamton University. Knock Knock Give a Sock was founded at NYU in Spring 2014 and involves students going around campus collecting socks to be donated to various homeless shelters in the New York-New Jersey area.
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| Photo courtesy Pipe Dream |
“I ran into Adina Lichtman, the founder of "Knock Knock Give A Sock," Liebman says, “and she told me about this amazing initiative she started—a campus-wide effort to collect socks for the homeless. I was immediately intrigued because I believe community service is one of the greatest things a person can do.” Avraham and Liebman have a goal to collect 500 pairs of socks by December. They have gone door to door on campus with bags and boxes, asking students for donations. The pair have also gone to various off-campus housing complexes to collect donations. There are donation boxes in residence halls and they have also reached out to Greek Life organizations asking them to collect socks from their members. They have already collected numerous bags of socks and are looking forward to tallying the final count.
“This unique community service initiative will address a serious need among the homeless within the Greater Binghamton area—socks,” Avraham says. “KKGAS is an easy and direct way to engage students in community service.”
Avraham is the CEO of Campus Pursuit, serves as the Marketing Chairman of AEPi fraternity, and serves on Hillel’s Kedma board, a sub-religious group of Hillel at Binghamton. Liebman is the co-director for BTV, an intern for Fox40 News in Binghamton, as well as a member of the Student Conduct Board. She is also an intern for the Public Speaking Skills lab.
Avraham and Liebman want to get as many people involved in this initiative as possible. The more people who get involved, the more socks will be donated! For more information on how to contribute to the cause, contact Shachar Avraham at savraha1@binghamton.edu or Zoe Liebmann at zliebma1@binghamton.edu.
On October 18, Alpha Epsilon Phi held their 29th Annual “Mr. Greek God” competition in the Events Center. Each year, AEPhi holds this event to raise money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation, as well as Sharsheret—a national not-for-profit organization supporting Jewish women and their families facing breast cancer. The competition included delegates from five different fraternities and consisted of a body building section, a talent portion, and a question and answer session of why Greek life is important to each delegate. The event was spearheaded by juniors Jen Pincus, AEPhi’s VP of Philanthropy, and Kathryn Schutzenbach. The event raised $22,000.
“The event was great! So many people came out to support our philanthropies and it really shows how Greek Life can come together to support each other,” said Gladys Guerrero, President of AEPhi said.” I am so proud to be a part of this sorority because of our dedication to philanthropy! I cannot wait for next year; I’m sure it will be just as successful!” $500 worth of gift cards were donated by local restaurants and stores to be presented to the winners of the competition. Congratulations to AEPhi for putting on a fantastic philanthropy event!
CHOW Hunger Walk
On October 19, ninety Binghamton University students stepped up and volunteered to assist in running the Annual CHOW (Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse) Hunger Walk. CHOW's mission is to address the issue of food insecurity and feed hungry people in Broome County.
Hundreds of Binghamton students, staff and faculty members, and community members collected monetary pledges from their friends and family and participated in the walk, and participants also donated cans and boxes of nonperishable food to be donated to numerous soup kitchens in the Binghamton area.
Sponsors included the Broome County Council of Churches, Binghamton’s Center for Civic Engagement, Weis Markets, and more. The walk started behind the East gym and totaled around 1.5 miles. “It was great that we had almost 100 volunteers who were willing to come out on a cold day to support a great cause,” said Indy Li, a Graduate Assistant at the CCE who volunteered as a Team Leader coordinating the students working at the registration table at the Walk. Staff and Students at Binghamton University collected a total of $1,199 dollars. Our students want to make a difference and as this year's CCE t-shirt says, #MakeGoodHappen. Our students DO make good happen!
