Community Giving

Brookhaven National Laboratory and its staff give generously of their time and money to support Long Island organizations and businesses. Employees volunteer to benefit:

2006 BNL Campaign for the United Way of Long Island 

More than $142,000 was raised for the United Way of Long Island, thanks to the generosity, support and volunteerism of BNL employees, retirees, visitors and guests.  This was accomplished through donations from payroll pledges and various fund-raising events.  Among them, the holiday auction, yard sale, cake sales, chili lunch sales, gift wrapping, and book sales.  In addition a number of individual departments held local fundraisers.  Thanks to the people within the Lab community whose volunteer efforts, both on- and off-site, ensured that BSA contributed $10,000 to the United Way campaign for the sixth year in a row!

Long Island Blood Services 

Laboratory employees donate blood at five annual blood drives on site sponsored through Long Island Blood Services. Blood donated by Lab staff is used throughout the Long Island community. We average a donation of approximately 1100 units of whole blood each year.

Over the past three years Brookhaven has participated in the mobile apheresis donation program, also sponsored by Long Island Blood Services. Apheresis donations occur on site three times each year and 55 individuals contribute the platelets on site. Employees also participate in the National Bone Marrow Registry by contributing a sample of blood to be typed and entered into a national database in support of people needing bone marrow transplants for survival.

BNL Food Drive 

Each month Laboratory employees donate food staples, which are collected in drop off boxes in every major building. During 2005, 15,910 pounds of food was donated to the INTERFACE monthly food drive and distributed to the Long Island community.

Brookhaven Town's Toy Drive 

On behalf of Brookhaven Laboratory, Brookhaven Science Associates donated $2,500 to Brookhaven Town's INTERFACE Holiday Toys for Kids Drive. INTERFACE is a partnership between the Town of Brookhaven and its corporate neighbors, united in an effort to provide help for Brookhaven's needy residents. For fifteen years, Lab employees have donated toys to the annual INTERFACE Holiday Toys for Kids drive, as well.

Meals on Wheels

The American Red Cross Brookhaven Nutrition Center uses the Lab's Medical Department kitchen to prepare about 650 meals each day Monday through Friday. Half the meals are delivered to folks who are home bound, and about half is congregate food in bulk, which is served through the Bellport-Patchogue Nutrition Center, the Coram Nutrition Center and the Mastic Nutrition Center.

Judging for Long Island Science Fairs 

Brookhaven Laboratory researchers are called as an expert science resource to judge and evaluate competitions on the county levels for high school science fairs and college scholarships.

Longwood Mentoring Program

Longwood Central School District Mentoring Program. Over 20 BNL volunteers meet weekly during the school year with children from the Longwood Central School District as part of a mentoring program. Lab employees are linked with children and provide support and mentoring, which ranges from one-on-one tutoring to talking to help raise self -esteem. Dr. Peter Soo has been the coordinator of this program since its inception seven years ago. Currently, the program is focused on two elementary schools and the middle school. At the end of the school year, the volunteers and the children are taken on a field trip, which enhances their educational experiences.

Walk for Beauty

The Women's Program Advisory Committee, under the direction of the Diversity Office and the Friends of Brookhaven, coordinate lab employees to walk to raise money for breast cancer research. The walk, which is conducted by Stony Brook Hospital, takes place in Stony Brook in October.

Dress for Success

Business clothing is collected and donated to the Town of Brookhaven's Office of Women's Services for financially disadvantaged women who are reentering the job market. The clothes are given to them for interviewing and for their first few weeks of work. Brookhaven Women's Program Advisory Committee, under the direction of the Diversity Office, conducts the clothing drive.

LINCT Program

The Long Island Network Coalition Training program is a Suffolk County community program that provides computer training to local residents who are finally disadvantaged. Refurbished computers are given to students once they've completed their training. Brookhaven employees teach the course at the Laboratory. There are two semesters offered each year.

Laboratory Assistants Training Program

In a first for Suffolk County, the Laboratory and Abilities, Inc., offer a training program for individuals with disabilities who wish to become laboratory assistants. The program is designed to prepare participants to qualify for entry-level positions in clinical, pharmaceutical, environmental and research laboratories in the community. The program is offered for 12 students, three times per year, for 15 weeks per semester.

Volunteer Environmental Educator Program (VEEP)

Eleven Lab employees are volunteers for the Suffolk County Health Department's Volunteer Environmental Educator Program (VEEP). These individuals reach out to Suffolk residents with information on water supply and pollution by visiting local schools, civic and business groups to educate people on the correct actions necessary to protect groundwater resources and their own health. Since 1998 these volunteers collectively spend about 200 hours per year talking to students and teachers, residents at local libraries and making presentations to residents at environmental fairs and exhibits.

Last Modified: January 31, 2008
Please forward all questions about this site to: Sherry Johnson April 13, 2006

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE’s Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

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