Event will include blood drive, art project, support services
(Long Island, NY) A candlelight vigil in honor of those who lost their lives in the Orlando, Florida mass shooting last week will be held Thursday, June 23, at Farmingdale State College.
Due to an extreme blood shortage, the Blood Drive will run from 2-8 p.m. The Candlelight Vigil will begin at 7 p.m. either on the Great Lawn of Roosevelt Hall or inside of Roosevelt Hall, in case of rain.
“We hope that this event helps people to heal, but also to dialogue with others about the causes of this atrocity, and how we, together, can combat heterosexism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, racism, Islamophobia, and a range of others forms of discrimination that affect our communities” said Dr. Angela Jones, sociology professor and coordinator of the college’s Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program.
Farmingdale State College President W. Hubert Keen thanked Dr. Jones and Audrey Krapf, Director of Health and Wellness, for their prompt response to the tragedy, by saying, “Tragic events of such unspeakable evil prompt us to reexamine our basic values and beliefs about the society in which we live, and you, Angela, have very poignantly expressed that.”
The agenda for the vigil includes:
- A blood drive for survivors of the attack, to be held from 2 -8 p.m., in the bloodmobile on the Great Lawn.
- A book in which participants can record their thoughts and prayers, which will be sent to the Pulse nightclub.
- A collective art project that will allow attendees to record words of encouragement and drawings.
- Support services
- Collection of supplies to be sent to Orlando blood collection centers, including juice, water, cookies, crackers, fruit snacks, and gift cards. (Donations of these items are also being collected at the college’s Health & Wellness Center, off the campus’s Melville Road entrance.)
“Farmingdale wants to provide a safe and peaceful space for all who mourn, to be with one another, and support one another,” said Dr. Jones.
For updates on activities, go to the FSC Facebook Event Page and let organizers know you plan to support Orlando.
Farmingdale State College prepares students with the education, skills, and critical thinking needed to meet tomorrow’s challenges. As the largest of SUNY’s colleges of technology (with almost 8,700 students), FSC equips students with the resources and knowledge sought by today’s emerging industries. Offering bachelor and associate degrees, FSC will soon offer its first graduate program. At FSC, students learn in small, personalized classes and have abundant opportunities for applied learning—internships, clinical training, and guided research—that provide practical instruction and personal growth. Located an hour east of Manhattan, the campus offers residential halls, a lush 380-acre campus undergoing major renovation, and a highly successful NCAA Division III athletics program with modern facilities to make FSC one of the fastest-growing colleges in the region. In addition, in 2015, 2014 and 2013, FSC was listed one of the best colleges in the North and in 2013 FSC was the only SUNY school (and the only LI school) listed in the LEAST debt category in the section titled Student Debt Load at Graduation for regional colleges in the north. In 2015 UniversityPrimeTime.com again listed FSC the fifth safest college in the nation. Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/farmingdale.
