Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s student alumni association, the IUP Ambassadors, is turning its winning streak into an opportunity to help IUP students facing food insecurity.
For the third consecutive year, the IUP Ambassadors donated $800 from its Homecoming parade first-place float prize to the IUP Food Pantry and Help Center.
From left: IUP Ambassador Kathleen Dixon, a senior communications media-media marketing major from Clymer; IUP Ambassador and chair of the group’s Homecoming Float Committee Katherine Lagunas Sanchez, a junior ecology, conservation, and evolutionary biology major from Kennett Square; IUP Executive Director of Student Inclusion Roger Briscoe; IUP Ambassador and chair of the organization’s philanthropy subcommittee Katie Juarez-Guillen, a junior diagnostic medical sonography major from Kennett Square; and Abubakar Wahab, graduate assistant at the IUP Food Pantry and Help Center, Student Affairs in Higher Education master’s student from Akim Oda, Ghana.
IUP opened the Food Pantry in 2019. In response to student needs, the Food Pantry was expanded in 2021 to become the Food Pantry and Help Center, offering toiletries and school supplies in addition to food items for students.
More than 10,800 students have received support from the Food Pantry and Help Center since its opening.
The Food Pantry and Help Center is located on the ground floor of Wallwork Hall and is coordinated by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Office of Student Life. It is available to all students.
Many individual students, employees, alumni, and friends, along with student clubs and organizations and IUP departments and offices, have made monetary donations and donations of food, toiletries, and supplies to support the Food Pantry and Help Center during the past six years.
“Unfortunately, our students are not immune from the national issue of food insecurity, and the need continues to grow,” IUP Vice President for Student Affairs Thomas Segar said. “We are extremely grateful to all our donors, including groups like the IUP Ambassadors, who have prioritized supporting the Food Pantry and Help Center on a regular basis. The Crimson Hawk family is incredibly generous and caring, and it makes me especially proud to see students supporting students with such grace and compassion. Every donation, large or small, makes a real impact,” he said.
The IUP Ambassadors, founded by the IUP Alumni Association Board of Directors, celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in fall 2023.
The IUP Ambassadors is a link between prospective students, current students, administrators, faculty members, alumni, and friends of IUP. It works to engage alumni and current students with campus life and makes students more aware of their potential roles as alumni, and focuses on the importance of “giving back” to IUP.
The group provides service to the university at a number of events throughout the year. Throughout the organization’s history, it has raised more than $150,000 for the university through a number of fundraisers, providing support to the construction of the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex and Jane E. Leonard Hall, and to the Allegheny Arboretum and the IUP Libraries.
The group also established the IUP Ambassadors Endowed Scholarship and has raised funds for book scholarships for students.
In addition to its success with fundraising, the IUP Ambassadors support open house events and prospective student programs in collaboration with the Office of Admissions. The group also has been active in donor appreciation events and organized “Conversations with Alumni Speaker Series,” which invites successful alumni back to campus to speak to classes and student groups.
The Ambassadors cosponsor the Young Alumni Achievement Awards program with the IUP Alumni Association. The awards recognize one graduate from each academic college who has had great success in their career within 15 years of receiving their degree from IUP.
This year, more than 80 students attended the event, providing important networking opportunities and building alumni pride. The IUP Ambassadors has received more than 30 awards for excellence from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, including a number of international awards.
Students must apply for membership and go through an interview process to be selected for the group, which includes 34 members.
“Part of the IUP Ambassadors’ mission is to demonstrate the positive impact of philanthropic support at IUP,” IUP Director of Alumni Engagement Karen Cramer said.
“Donating funds from the homecoming parade float prize has become a meaningful tradition for the IUP Ambassadors, with this marking the third consecutive prize-winning year and the third gift to the Food Pantry and Help Center,” Cramer said. “Over the past three years, these donations have totaled $2,100 in support of students facing food insecurity.
“When determining where this year’s donation could have the greatest impact, it was clear that the Food Pantry and Help Center continues to meet a critical need, especially with the current rise in food insecurity. This gift not only reflects the Ambassadors’ ongoing commitment to supporting their peers but also helps raise awareness of student needs in the hope of inspiring others to give as well,” Cramer said.
“The IUP Ambassadors are not only leaders on campus, but also individuals who value service and community,” Kamden Boyle, graduate assistant in the Office of Alumni and Friends and graduate student advisor to the IUP Ambassadors, said.
Boyle, a May 2024 graduate from Ligonier, is in the master’s program in public affairs at IUP.
“Donating funds from the Homecoming float prize to the IUP Food Pantry and Help Center has become a meaningful tradition that highlights their continued commitment to giving back,” Boyle said. “Winning first place for the third year in a row makes this donation even more special, as it reflects the pride the Ambassadors have in representing IUP and their dedication to supporting fellow students in need.”
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.