Skidmore marks holidays with contributions to the community
As the holidays approach and the fall semester wraps up at Skidmore College, the flurry
of activity on campus includes a concerted effort by students, faculty, and staff
to help those in need in the surrounding communities.
The lead program in this effort is Skidmore Cares, a campus-wide endeavor that has
collected and delivered 900 food items, more than $800, and a wide array of school
supplies at a time when many local families are feeling the economic pinch.
The three beneficiaries of the Skidmore Cares food drive are the Saratoga County
Economic Opportunity Council (EOC), the Franklin Community Center, and the Salvation
Army. Cash donations, largely from Skidmore students, have been given to Mary?s Haven,
a local Hospice home. School supplies have been delivered to the Corinth School District
and to the EOC?s Latino Community Advocacy Program, for instruction in English as
a second language.
Skidmore Cares was launched in 2006 by Skidmore President Philip A. Glotzbach and
his wife, Marie, to enhance the meaning of the annual campus holiday gathering at
Scribner House, the president?s home. Faculty, staff, and their families dropped off
their donations in a sleigh on the front yard when they attended the open house on
Sunday, December 13. For those unable to attend the event, the sleigh was available
for ?drive-by? donations over the weekend.
?Skidmore Cares builds on the heritage of being a good neighbor and encourages participation
in a program that will result in a collective Skidmore contribution to the greater
Saratoga Springs region,? said Marie Glotzbach, who spearheads the effort. ?The program
enhances the meaningfulness of the spirit of the season at our annual college gathering.
It is especially important to us to give back to our community during these tough
economic times.?
Skidmore Cares organizers contacted the food banks in advance, asking for a list of items considered crucial to their operations, and the drive targeted those areas. Groupings of employees and students, each headed by campus representatives, or ?cheerleaders,? were assigned specific items and goals.
The student component of the program, organized by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee,
focused on raising cash.
For more information on Skidmore Cares visit www.skidmore.edu/skidmorecares.
Other Skidmore endeavors extend community outreach
This holiday season, individuals and organizations within the Skidmore community are making many other contributions to the community. Below is a sampling.
- Benef-Action, the student community-service organization, has ?adopted? 10 local teens through the Empty Stockings program, providing them with gift cards totaling $1,100.
- Using rowing machines in the college?s Sports and Recreation Center, the school?s Rowing Club held a ?row-a-thon? that raised $1,500 for Habitat for Humanity.
- Skidmore students and employees contributed some $9,000 to the Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council Thanksgiving meal program. Skidmore trustee and alumnus Steve Sullivan, owner of the Olde Bryan Inn and Longfellows, and his staff volunteered their time and resources to provide 200 Thanksgiving meals at the EOC soup kitchen and to deliver 400 hot dinners to those unable to leave home.
- Joanne Dugan, of Skidmore?s Dining Services, is leading an effort to collect children?s holiday gifts, food, and money for local families. She is doing so in honor of Mary Bradley, a colleague who recently passed away.
