Charity Begins at the Office for Eberly College of Science

19 December 2001 -- The holiday season has always been a time when the hearts and minds of many turn to thoughts of helping others in need. Events of recent months have made the desire to share and support others in our communities even stronger than in years past. This is certainly apparent in the Eberly College of Science where a wide variety of charity efforts are underway.

Members of the faculty and staff throughout the college are planning to participate in a blood drive hosted by the college on Friday, 21 December, in the lobby of Osmond Laboratory. When a unit of blood has been collected the platelets are only viable for five days. If no blood is collected just prior to the holiday there will be no platelets available for medical treatment on, or just after, Christmas day. The need for blood and platelets doesn't take a break for the holidays, so the college hopes to help the medical community be prepared.

Staff throughout the Dean's office have been collecting "pennies" in several collection cans. These donations will be delivered to the Nittany Mall today for the Easter Seals/3WZ "Million Pennies Drive." The staff have also collected several bags of toys for the "Toys for Tots" program. These were delivered to the Penn Stater where they were added to other donated toys to be wrapped and distributed to needy children in our community.

The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics is collecting donations for the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon to benefit The Four Diamonds Fund, which provides care and monetary support for pediatric cancer patients and their families.

Staff in the Department of Mathematics decided early in the year to begin collecting funds for a holiday donation. This fund was used to purchase items such as toy musical instruments, CD and cassette players, games, books, puzzles, and art supplies for the Skills' Adult Training Facility.

The faculty and staff of the Department of Chemistry are helping two local organizations this year. They are conducting a book drive to benefit local reading programs supported through the National Book Program of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF). They are collecting new unwrapped books, or cash to purchase new books, for kindergarten through fifth-grade readers, which will be delivered to participating local schools. They also have set up collection beakers at several locations through the department and will collect, count, and roll coins to purchase gift certificates from area grocery stores to donate to the Food Bank of State College.

There are similar stories throughout the college, the University, and the community of many unsung heroes who hope to make this holiday a little brighter for those in need in the community surrounding Penn State and beyond.

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