By Steve Seepersaud
Our Alumni Global Days of Service are typically held in April, and we look forward to bringing them back in 2023. In the meantime, did you know every day can be a day of service? In this month’s newsletter, we highlight a volunteer in our alumni network.
As an 8-year-old, Joshua Goldberg ‘18 learned volunteering is just something you do.
After his mother took him and his brother along to serve Thanksgiving dinner to homeless
people, Goldberg was inspired to keep giving back, and has subsequently volunteered
with more than a dozen organizations.
“It was a family value to contribute and seek out opportunities to improve others’ lives,” Goldberg said. “In addition to having my mom’s subconscious volunteering influences, I initially began volunteering with Music for Autism. As an avid music fan and guitarist since I was 7, I wanted to give back to the experience of musical enjoyment for young children and adults with autism. Seeing how happy these individuals were while playing instruments, dancing and interacting with the music was a moving experience for me.”
Since graduating from Binghamton, Goldberg has been volunteering with Hudson River Park Friends in New York for the past three years. He’s part of a 15-volunteer team that works twice a month to beautify the park by removing weeds, composting and setting up new plants. He was in a group cleanup project at the park during Binghamton’s 2019 Alumni Global Days of Service.
“I feel like I’m making a tangible difference in the environment by physically seeing the change in the area where I’m working,” he said. “Often, bikers and runners pass by as our group is working and they commend the work we’re doing, which feels great!”
Goldberg has continued feeding people through his service with Dorot. He and his family bring bags of food to elderly women with mobility issues. This service underscored that he was doing more than helping to physically nourish people. He was feeding them emotionally.
“We visited one woman monthly for several years and, each time, she’d open the food bags we brought then tell us to relax and watch TV while she proceeded to cook us a lavish meal with the food that we had just brought for her to eat. She made us these meals despite our objections and we would talk with her for several hours to learn more about her family.”
By building skills in communication, empathy, leadership and storytelling, volunteerism has enriched Goldberg’s life both personally and in his work as a senior business intelligence analyst for Twill (formerly known as Happify Health). Making time to volunteer with a busy work schedule can be a challenge, but he feels anyone can make time if they really want to.
"[Before anything else], ask yourself what type of impact you want to make. Decide if you want to engage with something over a longer period of time, or if you'd like to do something more event-specific. Cultivate a mindset of giving without feeling the need for anything in return. Volunteering can be a great way to meet new people, and find those who share your passions. Start somewhere. Find something interesting, and give it a try. You never know how it goes unless you give it a try."
Are you involved in your community? and let us know what you are up to. We want to include you in our global alumni volunteer tally.