Throughout the 2018-19 academic year, Stony Brook University students and staff collected 125 bicycles and $1,250 for transportation costs and donated them to the charity organization Pedals for Progress (P4P). In three years, the fundraising efforts have nearly tripled.

Student volunteers working together to load the bicycles.

On May 3, 2019, volunteers loaded the bicycles in a shipping crate ready to be sent overseas. “To some of us, bikes are just a recreational toy to use and have fun with, but for someone less fortunate that same bike could deeply change lives for the better when put to good use,” said Shakeel Howell, chapter president of Phi Delta Psi Fraternity.

The volunteers were from student groups including Phi Delta Psi, Sigma Delta Tau, and Sigma Iota Sigma, Chill Peer Education Program, and student employees from the Residential Risk Management, a division of Campus Residences.

“The bicycles donated to P4P will support developing countries by encouraging economic growth and self-sustaining efforts to create jobs and opportunity,” said Kathleen Valerio, a health educator and peer program coordinator at SBU.

With the collaborative efforts between the student groups, Chill Peer Education Program, and campus departments of Student Health, Wellness and Prevention Services, Recreation and Wellness, and Campus Residences, this year’s fundraising outcome raised the bar even higher than previous years. During the first year, 47 bicycles were donated and 83 for the second year.

Read more on this article at SB News

Stony Brook University held its first overnight Long Island Latino Teachers Association (LILTA) Young Women’s Summer Institute on campus. From July 16 through July 18,  2019, the University hosted 13 female high school juniors and seniors. The young ladies were recommended for this program by guidance counselors and teachers from areas such as Brentwood, Central Islip and Islip.

A group of female high school students enjoyed several days of activities and encouragement as part of the LILTA Young Women’s Summer Institute.

They had the opportunity to enjoy two and a half days of activities and met with a wide variety of academic professionals who gave them a better understanding of different paths they could choose in college.

During their visit, the students experienced dorm life with a stay in Irving College. They also ate at Eastside Dining with other students and kids from other camps. “If given a taste of college, it could change their life,” said Dafny Irizarry, President of LILTA.

To end their time at Stony Brook University,  the students reflected on their visit with Dr. Jarvis Watson, Interim Chief Diversity Officer, and shared their views of the experience.

LILTA is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to increase graduation rates and encourage higher education enrollment and retention. The LILTA Young Women’s Summer Institute was coordinated through the Stony Brook University Community Relations Office and funded through the Campus Plan for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity.

Read more on this article at SB News

Faculty and students from Stony Brook University’s School of Health Technology and Management, along with staff and volunteers from Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, co-hosted a successful “Connect to Your Health” Senior Citizen Health Fair at the Hampton Bays Senior Center on September 27, 2019.

Charles V. Guida, Board-Certified Geriatrician from Stony Brook Southampton Hospital (center) is joined by Applied Health Informatics Program Director Carmen McCoy (second from left, seated), Professor Giselle Gerardi (fifth from right) and graduate students in the Applied Health Informatics program and students from the School of Nursing, who took part in the “Connect to Your Health” Senior Health Fair in Southampton.

Student volunteers from the Applied Health Informatics (AHI) program and the Stony Brook University School of Nursing helped seniors learn how to use various health technologies. The fair provided seniors with information about tick disease as well as community resources and preventative health and patient portals. Seniors also received free blood pressure screenings and massages.

School of Nursing students provided blood pressure screenings under the leadership of Professor Giselle Gerardi, a registered nurse and professor in the Applied Health Informatics program. Volunteers from Southampton Hospital and Stony Brook Medicine also took part in the event.

Read more