Worcester State site named for Binienda
Worcester State University will name its civic engagement center after alumnus and longtime state representative John J. Binienda, who died last month, the school announced.
Earlier this summer, Binienda donated $100,000 to the university to support and expand its Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement’s programs. The university will rename the center The Honorable John J. Binienda Center for Civic Engagement. Proceeds from investment of the gift will be used to support and expand the center’s programming and fund a scholarship in his name.
“With this gift, our students will be rewarded for community service, as well as gain experience, via internships, with organizations committed to the causes Representative Binienda championed,” WSU President Barry M. Maloney said.
Some funding will be used to connect the center more closely with the City of Worcester and organizations that work to renew practices of democracy and promote civic values, said Mark Wagner, director of the engagement center. The aim is to support students directly and expand the center’s work in causes Binienda championed, which included assisting children who were born blind or with hearing loss and aiding those facing re-entry issues following incarceration.
“Funding for internships and scholarships for students working in these areas will allow Representative Binienda’s legacy to endure,” Wagner said.
Binienda was told in July that the school intended to name the center in his honor.
“I am humbled to have the Civic Engagement Center named in my honor,” Binienda said after hearing the news. “I am pleased that I am able to ‘give back’ to the university and, especially, to its bright and talented student body, our next generation of leaders.”
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