Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Orange Volunteers Squeeze in Some Compassion During Orlando Visit

Thursday, December 27, 2018, By News Staff
Share

Orange volunteers at The Mustard Seed.Citrus fruit may grow on trees in Florida, but the Sunshine State recently experienced the influx of an especially spirited variety of Orange–from wintry Syracuse!

As the Orange football team prepared for its debut in the 2018 Camping World Bowl in Orlando, a team of volunteers—Syracuse University staff, trustees, donors, guests and students—headed to a warehouse run by The Mustard Seed of Central Florida. The organization provides furniture, clothing and household items to individuals and families in the Orlando area who are struggling to restart their lives after a setback. Some 3,000 individuals received help from The Mustard Seed in the 2017-18 fiscal year.

Volunteers assembling matresses.The Syracuse University volunteers attended an orientation that introduced them to the organization’s mission and procedures. Then they sprang into action, sorting donated clothing and housewares, organizing the warehouse full of furniture, and assisting in the organization’s extensive recycling effort.

This service project was sponsored by SU’s Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience (ESE), and the idea originated with Dolan Evanovich, ESE’s senior vice president. “No matter where we are in the world, the students, staff, faculty, alumni and extended Orange family bring a deep commitment to making a positive impact,” Evanovich says. “We had an opportunity to do so in our host city of Orlando and came together to support families and individuals affected by personal tragedy.”

Volunteers assembling beds.The Mustard Seed fills critical needs for clients like Randy, a Vietnam veteran who was so devastated by his wife’s death that he wandered into the woods after her funeral and was found unconscious days later. “She was my best friend,” Randy said, but he found the strength to go on after treatment at the VA Medical Center and assistance from the Office of Veterans Affairs. He now rents an efficiency apartment in Winter Park, furnished with donated items from The Mustard Seed.

“The Mustard Seed is so grateful for volunteer groups like Syracuse University, and we cannot express how large an impact this group will have,” says Stephanie Grant, volunteer coordinator for the organization. “Your selflessness during this holiday season helps many individuals and families in our Central Florida community. Thank you!”

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Iran Escalation: Experts Available This Week
    Tuesday, June 24, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette
  • SCOTUS Win for Combat Veterans Backed by Syracuse Law Clinic
    Monday, June 23, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Syracuse Views Summer 2025
    Monday, June 23, 2025, By News Staff
  • Tiffany Xu Named Harry der Boghosian Fellow for 2025-26
    Friday, June 20, 2025, By Julie Sharkey
  • Registration Open for Esports Campus Takeover Hosted by University and Gen.G
    Thursday, June 19, 2025, By Matt Michael

More In Campus & Community

Retiring University Professor and Decorated Public Servant Sean O’Keefe G’78 Reflects on a Legacy of Service

For most of his time as a public servant, Sean O’Keefe G’78 adhered to a few guiding principles: Step up when someone calls upon you to serve. Be open to anything. Challenge yourself. Those values helped O’Keefe navigate a career…

Jorge Morales ’26 Named a 2025 Beinecke Scholar

Jorge Morales ’26, a double major in history and anthropology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with a minor in English and textual studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded the highly competitive…

Registration Open for Esports Campus Takeover Hosted by University and Gen.G

Syracuse University and global esports and gaming organization Gen.G have opened general registration at campustakeover.gg for its first Campus Takeover Sept. 20-21. The two-day conference will bring students and administrators to Syracuse to highlight career opportunities within the esports industry…

2 Whitman Students Earn Prestigious AWESOME Scholarship

For the first time in the 12-year history of the program, both nominees from the Whitman School of Management have been selected as recipients of the 2025 AWESOME Excellence in Education Scholarship, a prestigious honor awarded to top-performing undergraduate women…

Whitman’s Johan Wiklund Named a Top Scholar Globally for Business Research Publications

The Whitman School of Management’s Distinguished Professor Johan Wiklund was recently listed as one of the most prolific business and economic research scholars globally, according to “What We Know About the Science of Science in Business and Economics? Insights From…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.