SU celebrates National Orange Day March 24

Wednesday, March 17, 2010, By Kelly Homan Rodoski

Syracuse University Orange spirit will be glowing brightly on Wednesday, March 24, as the University and alumni clubs around the country celebrate National Orange Day. This year’s celebration marks the 140th anniversary of SU’s founding on March 24, 1870.

“National Orange Day is a wonderful tradition that brings the SU community and alumni clubs across the nation together to celebrate the history of SU, and to engage in projects that support our respective local communities,” says Cristina Swift, assistant director of alumni relations. “There is no better way to celebrate SU’s birthday than to display our Orange spirit and pride through celebration and community outreach.”

On March 24, the Traditions Commission will be distributing birthday cake and cookies from noon-2 p.m. in the atrium of the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center.

New this year, the Office of Alumni Relations, the Traditions Commission and the Alumni Club of Central New York will host a “birthday party” for SU that evening from 6-8 p.m. in Gym A of the Women’s Building, 820 Comstock Ave. The event will feature birthday fun for all ages, including carnival games, mini hoops, refreshments, a caricaturist, an appearance by Otto the Orange and a step show by Alpha Phi Alpha. Parking will be available in the Women’s Building North and South lots and the Q4 lot.

As part of the celebration, the Office of Alumni Relations, Traditions Commission, the Mary Ann Shaw Center and the Alumni Club of Central New York are partnering on a community service project to collect needed items for the Somali Bantu Community Organization, a local nonprofit organization that provides a variety of services for Somali Bantu refugees, such as a literacy program on Saturday mornings at the Dr. Martin Luther King School (they work with both children and adults and have about 100 attending Saturday mornings during the school year).

Items needed for the Somali Bantu Community Organization include school supplies, such as wide-ruled paper, crayons, pencils, markers, glue, construction paper, folders, notebooks, three-ring binders, scissors, sharpeners (both electric and hand held), flip charts, new or gently used education games, English dictionaries, file cabinets, and desktop printer and copier. Monetary donations will also be accepted (tax deductible) to help with transportation costs and food for those participating in the Literacy Program. A complete list of needed items and ways to make your donation are available at http://alumni.syr.edu.

Donated items may be brought to the National Orange Day Birthday Party; to the Office of Alumni Relations, located in the Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center, until March 31; or to the Somali Bantu Community Organization office in the Boys and Girls Club Central Village Office at 212 Van Buren St. in Syracuse.

On March 24, the SU Bookstore will hold a “Bursting with Pride” promotion with orange balloons throughout the store. Pop a balloon to reveal your discount—from 10 to 60 percent on items throughout the store, including SU apparel, books, Vera Bradley items and more. Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion will offer free skate rental to anyone wearing orange that day.

Also, the Carrier Dome and the National Grid building in downtown Syracuse will be lit in orange on March 24.

To mark National Orange Day, alumni clubs across the country will come together to make a difference in their respective communities. Some of the planned programs include:

  • Army ROTC: Will make monetary donations to SU’s First Book Program and the USO-sponsored United Through Reading Program.
  • Central New Jersey: Will volunteer at Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen in New Brunswick on April 11 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
  • Central New York: Will partner with the Office of Alumni Relations and the Traditions Commission on SU’s 140th Birthday Party.
  • Chicago: Will volunteer at the Chicago Youth Centers to play games, do arts and crafts, and read books with children of incarcerated parents. The club will meet at the Elliott Donnelly Youth Center on April 10 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
  • Northern New Jersey: Will be collecting needed items and monetary donations for the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Essex County, a nonprofit organization providing assistance to homeless families.
  • Philadelphia: Will volunteer at Tacony Creek Park in Fairmount Park. Club members will participate in various projects, including trail work, clean up, and planting and prepping for planting on March 20 from 9 a.m.-noon.
  • Rochester: Will volunteer at Camp Good Days and Special Times on March 13 and March 20, helping the organization prepare for its 10th Annual Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and Auction.
  • Washington, D.C.: Will volunteer at the National Marathon on March 20 from 6-8 a.m. The club will be staffing a water station, handing out water or Gatorade and cheering on the runners.

For more information, visit http://alumni.syr.edu.