Students in the University Scholars Program at Stony Brook University are focused on scholarship, leadership and service.

A project from the group that encompasses all three areas is the Long Island Book Drive which has one simple goal: get books into the hands of those who need them to be empowered and succeed.

Some of the books donated to the Wyandanch School District through the Long Island Book Drive program.

The University Scholars team collects books in any condition, any genre or reading level. Books in good enough condition to be donated find new homes with eager readers on Long Island and around the globe. Books that are damaged are properly recycled.

To increase the range for collecting and distributing books, the University Scholars team has partnered with four school districts on Long Island. There are hundreds of high school or middle school students, ages 10-18, working hard to collect books in their area.

The local school districts and their student organizers are at the heart of the initiative. At this student-run initiative, they develop their leadership and community involvement skills.

Thousands of books have been collected during the year. In May, the first donation of 2,235 books was made to the Wyandanch School District.

Book drives are also conducted on the Stony Brook University campus. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to donate unused literature to collection bins located throughout the campus.

31 Days of Giving Back 2015 Summary

The students, faculty and staff at Stony Brook University donate a considerable amount of their time, talent and resources to improve the lives of those around them at the holidays and all the year through. The examples here are just a small sampling of the community engagement going on from all points of the campus. Stony Brook is proud to be a caring community. We hope you enjoyed the glimpse in to some of the ways we show how much we care.

Questions or comments? Contact the Stony Brook University Office of Community Relations at (631) 632-9117 or email Joan.Dickinson@stonybrook.edu

The Internal Medicine residents took a break from the serious side of healthcare to bring a different kind of medicine to their patients.

In the spirit of the season, the Internal Medicine residents from Stony Brook Medicine gathered together to sing uplifting Christmas carols to their patients.

Internal Medicine residents volunteered at a soup kitchen and sang holiday carols.

The Internal Medicine residents choir sang popular songs of the season to patients on the Med-One floor (19N) and Leukemia, Lymphoma and bone marrow Transplant (LLT (19S) unit. This brought great joy to many of the patients who are in the hospital for the holidays.

In addition, a team from the Internal Medicine team took some time to volunteer in the community to brighten the holidays of those in need. The group, along with Dr. Diane Lane and Dr. Rachel Wong, drove to the Patchogue INN soup kitchen to help serve a holiday breakfast to their guests.

They served more than 175 neighbors in need of food and compassion. The highlight of the happiness was the arrival of Santa (Dr. Rishi Mehta) who presented gifts that were donated by several organizations in the community.

The Internal Medicine residents enjoyed the opportunity to share hope and happiness with others for the holiday season.

Many high school students reach their senior year without having a clear direction for future employment.

Through a partnership with Stony Brook University, students from Bayport/Blue Point and Comsewogue High Schools are finding the right career path.

For the past five years, nearly 100 seniors from Comsewogue and Bayport/Blue Point High Schools  have come to campus for a day of exploring career possibilities.

The event, held at the Wang Center, starts with a breakfast meeting with local business mentors. Round table discussion take place for three 20-minute sessions. The students  listen and ask questions of the professionals about their daily work. Many different industries such as law, medicine, nursing and marketing are represented.

Next, the students move in to the theater for a presentation on choosing the right college and the application process. Robert Pertusati, Senior Associate Dean of Admissions, shares with the students some of the strong points  admissions counselors look for in a college application.

The day ends with a tour of the campus hosted by Stony Brook University students, who speak from experience about college life. The tour includes stops at the Melville Library, the Campus Recreation Center, the bookstore and the Student Activities Center among others.