Alumni participate in Global Day of Service

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Elizabeth Lamark

RIT alumni in the Rochester area volunteered at FoodLink, the George Eastman House, Sonnenberg Gardens and the local Ronald McDonald House.

Rochester Institute of Technology’s positive influence stretched across the world Sept. 16 as alumni gathered to participate in the annual Global Day of Service.

The Global Day of Service is an event organized by RIT alumni to help charities in their communities, both nationally and internationally. This year there were 28 chapter regions across the country that volunteered at 48 different charity sites, as well as four international sites in Peru, Croatia, Mumbai and New Delhi.

Bill Sachman, senior associate director of Chapter Programs, said alumni participated in 30 service projects spread across the globe that helped their local communities.

“The Global Day of Service was a resounding success,” said Sachman. “The amount of love and compassion displayed by RIT on Saturday was infectious.”

Bobby Watson ’12 (information technology) enjoyed meeting other alumni and working with them for a good cause.

“I already volunteer about once a month on my own here in Seattle, so when RIT announced their own yearly event for alumni I decided that I also wanted to get involved with the Global Day of Service.”

Watson and his fellow alumni prepared meals at Farestart on Saturday, a nonprofit organization that works to benefit homeless and disadvantaged people with job training and placement. He had hoped to pick up a few cooking tips while there and was not disappointed.

If any alumni missed out on volunteering this year, the next Global Day of Service will be held in the fall of 2018. Photos from this year’s event can be found on the RIT Alumni Association Facebook page and on other social media platforms using the hashtag #RITGDS.

RIT alumni in North Carolina volunteered at a local food bank for the Global Day of Service. They sorted 11,200 pounds of food in four hours.