St. Vincent Students Raise Funds for Conservation

Saint Vincent College is sending two teams of college students to participate in New Jersey Audubon's World Series of Birding, a competition in Cape May to find the most species of birds in a single 24-hour period. It's great fun, students learn a lot, and preparing for the contest fosters a deep love for birds. The program also fosters a commitment to conservation by requiring our students to raise funds for a conservation organization of their choice. We held a vote and decided to support the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. This organization provides lots of educational opportunities to the public, it maintains several nature reserves, it created a Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat program, and it conducts scientific research on Chimney Swifts.

Saint Vincent has a special connection with ASWP! We are a site for their "College Birding" program, that involves staff coming to our campus to lead birding activities, with some great incentives to encourage student participation. ASWP is also collaborating with biology professor Dr. Kellam on the Chimney Swift research.

By donating to ASWP, you are directly contributing to conservation efforts that ensure the sustainability of Pennsylvania's natural resources for future generations. Your donation will amplify the impact the organization has already had on our students. Help us give back to the program that has helped us. Contribute today!

More about Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.

Dr. James Kellam, Associate Professor of Biology at Saint Vincent College, is administering this fundraiser. You may donate here at GoFundMe, or you may send Dr. Kellam a check made to "Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania" at the following address: Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, Pa., 15650. Cash is acceptable as well, if you happen to know Dr. Kellam or his students personally.

Note: the fundraising total is reflective of our fundraising efforts in this year, 2025, as well as the fundraiser we ran in 2024.