Every year, two of CCEL’s programs with MSU Alumni aim to promote social change through philanthropy and giving. Fall 2024 marked our 16^th annual Fill the Bus event to give local students and families an equal start to the new school year. With a continued need for new school supplies, our schools, teachers, parents, and students need our help. Supporting schools contributes to building a more equitable future by preparing all students to become informed, skilled, and compassionate leaders in a diverse world.

In 2024, students, faculty and staff, alumni, and the community raised $5,215, which was divided between three partners: the Lansing School District, East Lansing Public Schools, and the Student Parent Resource Center. Each received $1,738 worth of school supplies. All supplies were purchased based on each partner’s needs and shipped directly to schools and sites. 

In January–February 2025, as part of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration, the fifth annual Stuff the Library event raised funds to bring books featuring characters of diverse backgrounds into the Lansing School District. Through giving to this campaign, donors address the goals of quality education for all through promotion and support of youth literacy and reduced inequalities through building of cultural understanding among young readers. This year, students, faculty and staff, alumni, and the community raised $4,705, which resulted in the purchase of 326 books from Hooked, a locally owned bookstore. There were an additional 156 books donated through private purchase or on the event’s Amazon wish list. 

Stuff the Library started during the COVID-19 pandemic to support school districts across Michigan by bringing new stories into school libraries in preparation for students to return in person. Through community partnerships and connections with MSU’s alumni network, this campaign has increased children’s access to books and supported locally owned bookstores, keeping money within Michigan communities. This year’s book drive returned to Lansing and delivered donated books to Pattengill Elementary School on April 7.

“It’s important that we all see our faces in the things that we read because the world is inherently diverse,” says Jessica Benavides, Lansing School District Deputy Superintendent of Schools. “One of our prime objectives is making sure that everyone who comes to Lansing feels like they belong, that they know who they are and all the gifts they bring.”