UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Doing what you love while helping others sounds like a good deal – especially if what you love is watching Penn State football.
Two alumni groups shared the Penn State Alumni Association 2020 Joint Activity Award for their work last year organizing a food drive “watch party” as the Nittany Lions took on the Pittsburgh Panthers.
The Graduates of Earth and Mineral Sciences (GEMS), the alumni society for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and PSAA’s Colorado Chapter received the award at the 2020 PSAA Volunteer Awards Celebration in October, which was held virtually this year.
The award is presented annually to two or more groups that have worked collaboratively on an event and that reached a broader or more diverse audience through that collaboration.
“We were proud to continue the traditions of hard work and giving back that the GEMS board has established and maintained over the years,” said Dave Arachacki, current board president. “And we were very happy to work with a strong and committed group like the Colorado Chapter on this event.”
The food drive, called “Hunger is the Pitts,” took place during the GEMS board’s fall meeting, which was held in Denver for the first time. Members of the PSAA Colorado Chapter agreed to co-host the charity watch party and spread the word about the event.
Attendees showed up to watch Penn State top Pitt in the latest game in the football programs’ renewed rivalry and donated roughly 500 food items to the Food Bank of the Rockies, a local nonprofit that assists families in need.
“It’s important to give back,” said Arachacki, who was president-elect at the time of the event last year. “That is why we volunteer for the board and why we are successful as a group – because we all enjoy doing it.”
Arachacki said GEMS serves as an important conduit between students, faculty and alumni in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, allowing students to see their connection to the University extends beyond graduation while also helping alumni connect back with students to provide scholarship, volunteering and mentoring opportunities.
Founded in 1994, the GEMS Board of Directors provide leadership and programming opportunities for the alumni society.