04/23/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/23/2025 10:13
April is National Volunteer Month, and students at Stony Brook are stepping up to make a difference, volunteering their time and skills to support causes that matter to them and their communities. Their efforts uplift communities and provide valuable hands-on experiences while giving back.
The Center for Service Learning and Community Service and its staff have created a series of stories, highlighting the positive impact student volunteers have made through their service and celebrating their inspiring work to spark meaningful change in the Stony Brook community and beyond.
Alexander (Alex) van Geuns and Shelly Gupta are two seniors with a vision to bring affordable, sustainable fashion to campus. Wolfie's Wardrobe, their initiative with the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), offers students gently used clothing at just $1 per item-a small price that creates a big impact.
"Being able to provide clothes at such a cheap price really helps lower waste," Shelly explains. "It's about accessibility and reducing waste." For Alex, Wolfie's Wardrobe is a way to create positive change on campus. His advice? "Ask for help," he says. "For the longest time, I didn't, but starting something like this is easier than it seems. Take the first steps and see where it leads."
For every dollar earned, Wolfie's Wardrobe contributes directly to a Long Island charity. "It's not about profits," Shelly says. "It's a cycle of helping-anything we raise goes back to the community." So far, the initiative has raised around $1,000, and Shelly hopes to keep growing that impact.
With their efforts, Alex and Shelly are proving how sustainable practices and community support can work hand-in-hand, making Wolfie's Wardrobe more than just a thrift store- it's a movement for good.
The Pre-PA Club is routinely engaged in meaningful service work. This semester members volunteered at the Sunshine Prevention Center, a non-profit organization offering drug and alcohol prevention services. Junior Emily Rewkowski and other Pre-PA Club members helped clean up the property and painted encouraging messages on pallets.
Additionally, the club organized a costume drive to donate thirty costumes for children at Help Suffolk, a local homeless shelter, and hosted a Halloween party to bring joy to the children receiving services. Members have shared that volunteering not only allows them to make a tangible difference, but also provides valuable perspectives on the diverse experiences of those they help.This is critical for developing empathy, especially in the healthcare field.
Rewkowski encourages students to explore the many resources available at Stony Brook University to find volunteering opportunities, emphasizing the importance of approaching service with an open mind and a commitment to understanding others' life paths. To her, the joy seen in the faces of those her organization assists, such as the excitement of children receiving Halloween costumes, serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of their efforts.
"The most rewarding part of it is seeing the look on people's faces when they realize that there are other people looking out there for them," Rewkowski notes, "It's nice to see firsthand the difference that you're making when you volunteer."
The Student Blood Drive Committee coordinates three blood drives each semester. With over 160 service hours logged just in the first two events of Fall 2024, volunteers play crucial roles including distributing flyers, guiding donors, and answering questions about the process. They hope to engage the community and facilitate life-saving donations.
For Junior Clinical Laboratory Sciences major Zachary (Zach) Don, the President of the Student Blood Drive Committee, the most rewarding moments come when first-time donors walk through the door, filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness. He is also eager to see seasoned donors return, such as a retired faculty member who has been giving for over two decades. These encounters underscore the kindness behind each donation, with individuals choosing to spend their time for a cause greater than themselves.
Last year the Student Blood Drive Committee reached a milestone celebration, commemorating the 100,000th life saved since the club's inception. This experience enriches members' understanding of donor relations and logistics.
Don has a personal connection to the cause. "The reason I started getting involved with this organization is my mom passed from leukemia…she was getting blood transfusions multiple times a week," he shared. "Blood is not something that you could synthetically make, it is really 100% reliant on donors. And I never really thought about that when my mom was getting her transfusions, but I realized that after when I was at Stony Brook and I saw they were hosting blood drives and why blood donations are really important."
The Student Blood Drive Committee seeks to increase participation, foster repeated donors, and ultimately, save more lives. In a world where only 3% of eligible donors give, Don and the rest of the Student Blood Drive Committee members strive to make a difference, one pint at a time.
Want to Get More Involved?
Interested in learning more about how to get involved in community service? Visit the Center for Service Learning and Community Service in SAC 228, email CommunityService@stonybrook.edu or schedule an appointment on Handshake using the "Volunteer Positions and Service Projects" category.
Contributors: Service and Community Leader Team
Aima Chaudhry '25
Merica Griffin '25
Lily Kis-Horvath '27
Angelica Zeideia '26