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Livingston College alumni collected coats and helped rehabilitate a Delaware cemetery as part of the second annual Rutgers Day of Service on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012.

The Day of Service, organized by the Rutgers University Alumni Association, called on alumni (individuals and organizations) to give back to the community on or around the university’s annual Charter Day of Nov. 10.

COLLECTED MORE THAN 1,000 COATS

The Livingston Alumni Association (LAA) and the Rutgers Alumni Association (RAA) collected 1,170 new and gently used coats at the November 10 Rutgers-Army football game, outside both High Point Solutions Stadium and the Louis Brown Athletic Center (RAC). The coats were donated for distribution by Jersey Cares, a nonprofit community organization that supports those in need.

Jersey Cares collected additional coats at the Dec. 11 and 12 basketball games at the RAC.  Among volunteers in the coat drive were LAA board members Rosemary Agrista, Jeffrey Armus, Martin Dickerson, Jason Goldstein, Eric Schwarz, and Marty Siederer.

RAISING MARKERS TO HONOR VETERANS

In Wilmington, Delaware, Debra O’Neal, LAA’s first vice president, honored both the Day of Service and Veterans Day at the Historic Riverview Cemetery.

The Friends of Historic  Riverview Cemetery (FHRC) organized a “marker raising” on Nov. 10. Volunteers with FRHC visited the east side of the cemetery in Sections 18, 18-U and 18-S (along Eastlawn Avenue). Many veterans have been interred in these sections and the flat markers have sunken over time.   

“We formed teams to raise markers, add crushed stone, and re-set them,” O’Neal said. “We raised 23 markers this morning! It was an honor to hear the stories of volunteers who have served in the military as we worked to restore and preserve the honor of those vets who were interred.  

“The FHRC were glad that I chose this project as my Rutgers Alumni Day of Service Project. I had a chance to explain the purpose of the Rutgers Day of Service and the number of projects going on in New Jersey and around the country. Two volunteers have family in the New Brunswick area and were familiar with Rutgers. They welcomed me back again.”

FOCUS ON HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF

In the aftermath of the storm, Rutgers temporarily housed more than 800 evacuees from Atlantic County on the Busch and Livingston campuses. Rutgers Focus covered the university’s efforts to provide emergency shelter.

Pictured: (Top) Livingston College alumni at the coat collection at the RAC. (Bottom) Debra O’Neal, LC’87 (left) assists in the marker raising in Delaware. Check out additional photos from the two events.

Members and friends of the Livingston Alumni Association of Rutgers University (LAA) volunteered at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey on Saturday, November 8, 2014, as part of the fourth annual Rutgers Alumni Day of Service.

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey began operations in 1975, where President and CEO Kathleen DiChiara began distributing groceries out of the trunk of her car. Within months she created a food bank as part of the Archdiocese of Newark.

Today, the Community FoodBank distributes 40 million pounds of food a year to more than 1,000 non-profit programs, as well as more than 400 programs served by its Partner Distribution Organizations (PDOs). Through their combined efforts, they feed 900,000 hungry people in 18 New Jersey counties.

The LAA volunteers, along with volunteers from other community groups, helped package bags of various pastas, which were boxed and loaded onto pallets for distribution to food pantries throughout the state.

The Day of Service, organized by the Rutgers University Alumni Association, brings together hundreds of alumni volunteers to make an impact in their own local communities, all in the name of Rutgers, all on one day. Rutgers University’s commitment to service dates back to its founding fathers on Rutgers’ Charter Day, November 10, 1766. Thus, this program is inspired by the actions of Rutgers alumni and their long tradition of service.

Shown in photo at top of page: LAA volunteers hold the bags of pasta that they helped to package at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey on November 8, 2014. From left: Derek Young, Bernie Parkhurst, Jeff Isaacs, Brenda Isaacs, Jeff Armus, Eric Schwarz, Debra O’Neal and Olivia O’Neal.

The Livingston Alumni Association participates regularly in community service activities, organized by the LAA and other alumni organizations at Rutgers University. These events have included:

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