Syracuse University to mark National Orange Day on March 24 with community service projects, traditional birthday celebration

Syracuse University to mark National Orange Day on March 24 with community service projects, traditional birthday celebrationMarch 05, 2008Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Syracuse University Orange spirit will be glowing brightly on Monday, March 24, as the University and alumni clubs around the country celebrate National Orange Day. This year’s celebration marks the 138th anniversary of SU’s founding on March 24, 1870.

The annual birthday celebration, sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations, the Traditions Commission and the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service, will be held from noon-2 p.m. in the atrium of the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center. The event will feature remarks by Andrea Latchem, assistant vice president for alumni relations; Barry L. Wells, senior vice president and dean of student affairs; and Marlene Goldenberg, president of the Student Association. Otto the Orange will cut the traditional birthday cakes, donated by the SU Bake Shop, and entertainment will be provided by WJPZ.

“National Orange Day is a wonderful way for students to learn about and appreciate longstanding SU traditions, to connect with their community and to enjoy the campus-wide celebration, with of course a very orange birthday cake,” says Lauren D’Angelo, president of the Traditions Commission.

As part of the celebration, the Office of Alumni Relations and the Mary Ann Shaw Center are partnering on a community service project to collect needed items for Partners in Learning, a local nonprofit organization that oversees the West Side Learning Center, which offers English language classes, as well as for the MANOS Dual Language Early Childhood Program, a language and child care program for children ages 18 months-4 years whose parents are enrolled in the West Side Learning Center programs.

Items needed for the MANOS program include various children’s art supplies, such as paints, brushes, construction paper and scissors; children’s books in English and other languages; board games; music CDs; Play-Doh; and winter hats, gloves and jackets. Items needed for the West Side Learning Center include copier paper; notebooks; current events magazines; language dictionaries; and tables. A complete list of needed items can be viewed at http://alumni.syr.edu.

“The timing of this community service project by Syracuse University could not be more perfect,” says Theresa Pagano, director of the West Side Learning Center and the MANOS program. “We have experienced recent funding challenges, and the generous donations from the Syracuse University community will be a great help to us in operating our early childhood and adult literacy programs.”

Donated items may be brought to the National Orange Day celebration on March 24 or to the Office of Alumni Relations, located in the Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center. The deadline for donations is Monday, March 31.

On the evening of March 24, birthday cake will be served in the Goldstein Student Center on South Campus from 5-7 p.m. Other late night activities to celebrate National Orange Day, sponsored by the South Campus Organization for Programming Excellence (SCOPE) and the Office of Alumni Relations, will be announced later.

To mark National Orange Day, alumni clubs across the country will be celebrating the day by coming together to make a difference in their respective communities.

“National Orange Day is a longstanding tradition with our clubs,” says Wally Bobkiewicz, president of the Syracuse University Alumni Association. “It’s a time when we celebrate Orange pride and, more importantly, give back to our communities.”

Scheduled community service projects include:

• Rochester — Alumni will help sort wine bottles at Camp Good Days and Special Times in preparation for the organization’s major fundraiser.
• Greater Boston — Alumni will collect canned food donations and volunteer at the Greater Boston Food Bank to separate, sort and package food.
• Connecticut — Club members will serve food at a New Haven soup kitchen.
• Chicago — Alumni will volunteer at the “Perk Up the Park” event in Wicker Park.
• Philadelphia — Club members will volunteer at Philabundance, the food bank of Greater Philadelphia, to sort and package food.
• Albany (Capital District) — Alumni will volunteer at the Regional Food Bank to prepare items for distribution.
• Central New Jersey — Club members will volunteer at Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen in New Brunswick.
• Suncoast (Sarasota) — Alumni will volunteer at the All Faiths Food Bank major fund-raising event.
• South Florida — Club members will volunteer at the Boca Helping Hands food bank.
• Indianapolis – Alumni will volunteer at Habitat for Humanity working in their retail store to stock shelves and help with inventory.