Title:Hoyas Give Baxa event unites alumni across the miles

For the past decade, the annual Hoyas Give Baxa event has brought together alumni, students, friends, and family for a coordinated day of community service.

This year was no exception. On May 4, alumni in more than 20 states and half a dozen cities around the world took part in volunteer work for their local communities.

“Our clubs view Hoyas Give Baxa as one of the most meaningful and significant events of the year,” says GUAA Regional Engagement Coordinator Michael Puhalla. “It’s a reminder of their commitment to each other, their community, and alma mater.”

From California to Massachusetts, Mexico to France, and Qatar to Peru, alumni channeled the spirit of cura communitas into local service projects, including caring for animals at adoption events, sorting clothing donations, cleaning beaches, restoring native plants, even building an outdoor classroom.

In St. Louis, Missouri, volunteers packed 448 cases at the St. Louis Area Foodbank, totaling 3,657 meals for the local area.

In Palm Beach, Florida, Hoyas distributed over 1,280 boxed breakfasts and lunches.

In Portland, Oregon, Hoyas sorted nearly 1,500 pairs of eyeglasses for the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation, connected to the Lions Club of Oregon.

In Pamplona, Peru, Hoyas prepared over a dozen food baskets for distribution by a Pamplona soup kitchen.

“Part of the mission of the Georgetown University Alumni Association is to foster a lifelong connection among alumni, the university, and the global Georgetown community,” adds Puhalla. “Bringing Hoyas around the world together to give back to their community helps us achieve this mission and fulfill the Jesuit ideal of being people for others.”