Learning by Giving at Binghamton University 2019 edition

In honor of mental health awareness month, I’ve decided to do my charity pitch on Mental Health America. Mental health has thankfully been becoming less stigmatized as time goes on, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still strides to be made.             When mental health is brought up, many people immediately think about disorders such as schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder, which are depicted in big movies such as A Beautiful Mind and Silver Linings Playbook. Those two disorders aren’t an accurate picture of the mental health struggles of the majority of Americans though. About 1% of Americans live with schizophrenia, while about 18% of Americans experienced an anxiety disorder and about 7% experienced a major depressive episode. This goes to show that more awareness needs to be brought to the public about general mental health. You don’t need to be hearing voices in your head or seeing things in order to str...

Do me a favor—forget what you know for a second. Leave your preconceived notions at the door. Come in with an open mind, because I’m about to talk about a hot-button issue: Planned Parenthood. This week, I will be making my charity pitch on Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, my local reproductive health care provider. Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic (PPHP) covers four southern New York counties: Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and Suffolk. (If you have no idea where that is, I’ve attached a map at the bottom.) This is a large area, and it’s not continuous, which brings its own struggles to the tables. PPHP operates ten clinics in this area as well as their headquarters. It was at their HQ that I was able to intern last spring in their Public Affairs department. This experience was eye-opening. I had always known I felt passionate about women’s rights, but as a resident of Westchester, a wealthy NYC suburb, I didn’t expect inequality to exist in my backyard. The people I me...

Could you imagine living your life without knowing how to read? In Broome-Tioga counties, one out of five residents has a literacy problem that negatively affects their lives and 14% of the adult population cannot read at a 5th grade reading level. Without the ability to read, job opportunities are greatly restricted and simple tasks that people usually take for granted, like filling out a job application or reading a newspaper, are nearly impossible. In addition, there are many broader impacts of illiteracy that cause issues beyond the individual’s well being. Low literacy rates cost the United States $225 billion in reduced productivity and lost wages from unemployment. 90% of welfare recipients have subpar literacy levels and 60% of adult inmates are illiterate. Additionally, a child is twice as likely to be illiterate if their parent is illiterate. The Literacy Volunteers of Broome-Tioga Counties is a local organization that aims to assist adults in developing literacy...

It's always there, and only sometimes does it cooperate with us, but much too often do we forget how much we should appreciate it: our hair. Man or woman, our hair is often how we express ourselves, and is a large factor in our self-esteem. However, for those suffering through chemotherapy, or other illnesses that involve the loss of hair, this may not be the case. Hair loss in both males and females in associated with a drop in self-confidence and a loss in a sense of self. For those suffering through illness, these symptoms can bring additional hardship to an already tough situation. For children, however, this loss of confidence can be detrimental for their social development and emotional health. Thirty-five years ago, hairdresser Jeffrey Paul worried of this implication when his 15-year-old niece, Laura, was diagnosed with cancer, and thus, Wigs for Kids Inc. was started. Wigs for Kids is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to creating custom wigs at no cost to chi...

The 21 st century has seen the rise of interest in renewable energy.   As the world has become more knowledgeable of the limited nature of many of Earth’s resources, the understanding of the importance of clean energy has expanded.   This lends itself to the promotion of new methods of generating power by many organizations and philanthropists in the current day.   One such organization is GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit organization based in California that was created in 2001.   This nonprofit organization focuses its work on both the availability of renewable energy and the efficiency of energy. The mission of GRID Alternatives is to “make renewable energy technology and job training accessible to underserved communities”.   This mission is significant to me for a number of reasons.   I appreciate that the nonprofit seeks to work toward long term goals.   The necessity of renewable energy is something that I believe will only i...

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the island of Madagascar? Most likely, you’ll think of the animated movie from 2005 featuring King Julien the lemur. Madagascar is a wonderful children’s movie; however, it paints a false picture of the island. CultureConnect is a nonprofit local to my hometown, Rhinebeck, NY, with the mission to prepare youth to interact with their local and global communities with intelligence, compassion and cultural competence. Working with local school districts and with the support of college, high school, and community volunteers, CultureConnect runs after-school and summer programs for school-age youth. My charity pitch will focus on the MadagascarConnect program, as this is likely where any donation will be allocated at this time of year. MadagascarConnect carries the CultureConnect mission statement to the island of Madagascar. The highly selective program chooses seven local student ambassadors every other year to undergo a tw...