If you wondered why you saw a thousand people in purple walking the campus while you were headed to breakfast on October 21, it’s all part of the College’s commitment to supporting important causes in the wider community.
The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is held each year on the Siena campus to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and to raise funds for research to combat it. The College also annually hosts the Light the Night Walk each fall for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, as well as a walk to support The Community Hospice through St. Peter’s Health Partners.
“Hosting these non-profit events on campus helps bring outside people to our beautiful campus for a great cause,” said Norah Funiciello, director of conference and logistical services. “It's a great way to partner with our community and bring awareness to organizations that do such crucial work in fundraising and education. Their missions go hand in hand with Siena’s Franciscan values.”
In addition to hosting the walks, student and staff volunteers participate by working the events at welcome and information tables, greeting walkers as they cross the finish line, and by forming walking teams themselves.
The College has also hosted Out of the Darkness walks, a nationwide event organized through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Siena’s Social Work department organizes it in collaboration with the Office of Health Promotion.
Saints’ support for important causes extends off campus as well. The club hockey Team and American Cancer Society On Campus held their annual Pink at the Rink game on October 21 at the Albany County Hockey Facility. The team raised $2,400 to benefit Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event in Albany. The team and ACS On Campus also hosted Hockey Fights Cancer games on November 10 and 11 to offer further support for the battle against the disease.