Nov 16, 2020

Community encouraged to invest in SBU outreach ministries

Twenty-four hours. That’s the amount of time in which the Franciscan Center for Social Concern (FCSC) at St. Bonaventure University will host #GivingTuesdayatBonas, an online fundraising event with a goal of $40,000 on Dec. 1.

A lifetime. That’s the span of time in which a gift to the FCSC’s many ministry programs can make a difference.

“A donation to #GivingTuesdayatBonas is an investment in people,” said Alice Miller Nation, director of the FCSC. “With every dollar you give, you empower those who are served and those who serve.”

Miller Nation said that the center provides internships, service experiences and leadership opportunities that help transform students into community-conscious citizens. Students work with the poor and marginalized of society and can also participate in credited opportunities to study causes and solutions to social problems. 

“The Warming House, Bona Buddies and the other outreach programs of the FCSC are really classrooms,” Miller Nation said. “It is so gratifying to watch our students learn from the people who come to the Warming House each day. When one of the Bona Buddies asks their SBU mentor on a Zoom call, ‘When we are done doing homework, can we just talk for a few minutes?’ it makes me realize that not only do our students serve the community, but they are also learning from the community.”

The outreach ministries to benefit from the event include: The Warming House, the nation’s oldest student-run soup kitchen, which is witnessing increased participation due to the pandemic; Farm to Table, a summer program providing students hands-on experience with sustainable agriculture and service; SBU@SPCA, offering Bona students the opportunity to support the work of the local SPCA; Bona Buddies, a youth mentoring program pairing Bona students with local children; and the SBU Food Pantry, offering support to community members experiencing food insecurity. 

“It costs approximately $150,000 to operate these social justice, advocacy and service programs,” Miller Nation said. “Raising $40,000 on Dec. 1 will be a huge help in funding these vital initiatives.” 

In addition to supporting the outreach initiatives of the FCSC, #GivingTuesdayatBonas is in part student planned, implemented and evaluated, Miller Nation noted. SBU students are working alongside professionals at the university to learn about the impact of generosity on the local community. 

“It’s our hope that Bona students learn and practice what it means to be a community that nurtures compassion, seeks wisdom and builds integrity while serving the Olean community through the Warming House, Bona Buddies and our other outreach programs,” Miller Nation said.

The community is invited to visit www.sbu.edu/GivingTuesdayatBonas to learn more and to make a donation. Participants are asked to also use #GivingTuesdayatBonas on all social media channels to help spread the word.

______________

About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. In 2020, St. Bonaventure was named the #2 regional university value in New York and #3 in the North by U.S. News and World Report.