Sam Schaaf, an active duty solider in the Air Force, has served his country for more than three years, and for most of that time he’s been stationed at a base in Germany. Because of this, Schaaf doesn’t see his family much, returning home to Altoona, Wisconsin, just once or twice a year.

Despite never having been to a game, Schaaf is a huge University of Wisconsin men’s basketball fan. “I love the Badgers! I try and watch as many games as possible,” Schaaf told USA TODAY College.

Unfortunately, being overseas means that Schaaf doesn’t get to watch most of the games. That’s why during his most recent trip home, his mother, Deb, wanted to surprise him by taking him to his first game.

Deb Schaaf had what she thought was a far-fetched idea of not only taking her son to a game, but also giving him an opportunity to get a behind the scenes tour of Badger stadium. So she emailed Greg Gard, the Wisconsin men’s basketball coach, to see if her vision was possible. “I knew my son was coming home from Germany for only a week, and this was the only game I knew we’d be able to get to this year. So I just sent Coach Gard an email saying, ‘Is there any way that we could possibly tour the Kohl Center?’,” she recalled.

To her surprise, Coach Gard forwarded her email to Badgers Give Back, an organization dedicated solely to organizing charity events attended by Wisconsin student athletes. The organization not only got Schaaf, his mom and his sister a behind-the-scenes tour, but also hooked the family up with much more: court side seats, an autographed basketball, access to the pregame warm-up and the opportunity to meet players and coaches.

Deb Schaaf got the news that all of this was going to happen through an email. “I was at work and I was just reading the email. I was shaking, I was so excited,” she said. She was surprised too, because she wasn’t even sure Gard would get her message. “So when I got an email back from the liaison, I was just floored. I was excited and crying and just so happy!” she told USA TODAY College.

But she decided to keep it a secret for her son. When Schaaf got home about two weeks later, she told him everything. The next day they went to the Kohl Center for the game.

The family was smiling almost nonstop, standing on the basketball court before the game.

Deb Schaaf seemed excited both for the game and to be there with her son. “He’s only home for seven days, and then I won’t see him probably for eight, nine months. And that’s a maybe. He might be home for Christmas. He might not. I just don’t know when I’ll see him again. It’s usually once, maybe twice a year,” she said. “I’m just so excited for the whole experience. I’m just really excited to be able to share this with my son,” she said, as she held back tears.

Her son seemed grateful to his mom and, being a huge Badger fan, excited to watch them play live. “I’m really happy that she did it and thankful for it,” Schaaf said. “Just, hopefully, the Badgers win. That’s all I care about,” he added.

Wisconsin beat Maryland 71-60.

WISH UPON A BADGER AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL VISITS

According to Jackie Davenport, the Director of Community Relations for Badgers Give Back, the program started around four years ago. Although University of Wisconsin student athletes have been giving back to the Madison community for over 20 years, there wasn’t an organized program until then.

Today, around 70% of the student athletes at Wisconsin volunteer to be part of the program, Davenport said. The athletes volunteer all over Madison at places such as schools, hospitals, food pantries and senior centers.

Badgers Give Back’s program Wish Upon a Badger — similar to the Make-a-Wish Foundation — is what the Schaaf family experienced. Davenport said that when the program started a few years ago, it was organizing about two experiences a year. Next year they plan on doing 16 or more.

Related: Watch: Girl gives away her Make-A-Wish to kids who need shoes
Davenport loves the reaction of the community when they see student athletes giving back. “I think it’s really cool because it gets people to see student athletes in a different light. So you’re used to seeing them on the court or on the field, and you think of them in that manner, and then once they step out of there, they come into your classroom or they go to the senior center or they go to Children’s Hospital, and they’re interacting with them in a different way. It makes student athletes more real, like they’re a real person,” Davenport told USA TODAY College.

Source: http://college.usatoday.com/2017/03/09/u-wisconsins-athletes-grant-wishes-to-veterans-and-sick-kids/

For the 12th consecutive year, Rutgers University student athletes volunteered at Saturdays in Motion, a free program for children with autism and their families offered at the Somerset Hills YMCA in Basking Ridge.

Twelve athletes representing the Rutgers field hockey, football, women’s rowing and women’s tennis teams spent the afternoon on Saturday, Feb. 25, volunteering with children with special needs.

Saturdays in Motion is a free, volunteer-led program in which children on the autism spectrum and their siblings come to the Y twice monthly for recreational activities that include gymnastics, swimming and games. Teenage volunteers are paired one-on-one to play with the kids while parents receive caregiving respite.

“The Y is here to make sure everyone in our community has access to vital resources and services to help them live healthy, fulfilled lives,” said David M. Carcieri, president and CEO of Somerset County YMCA. “The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is 51 percent more prevalent in New Jersey than in the nation. For 25 years the Saturdays in Motion Program has had an immensely positive impact on the lives of participating families.”

Rutgers Athletic Director Pat Hobbs was on hand to volunteer with the student athletes.

“Saturdays in Motion is a great program for young children and for their parents, who get to spend time with their kids in a patient, loving environment,’’ Hobbs said. “Coming here to volunteer is a tremendous opportunity for our athletes to work with young people and to be a part of really inspiring work.”

This marks the 12th year of support from the Scarlet Knights football team and the first time for the other RU teams. The athletes included: Katie Beilin of Morristown, Jim Brady of Egg Harbor, Micah Clark of Cliffwood, Farris Cunningham of Houston, Texas, Megan Cunningham of Wilton, Conn., Alexandra Edenzon of Belle Mead, Alanna Gollotto of Voorhees, Chloe Lee of Albuquerque, N.M., Giovanni Rescigno of Warren, Mich., Nikki Santore of Voorhees, Jared Smolar of Valparaiso, Ind., and Zach Venesky of Peckville, Pa.

“It’s heartwarming to put a smile on kids’ faces,’’ said Beilin, a junior goal keeper for the field hockey team. “All Rutgers athletes love experiencing the community that so passionately embraces our athletic programs. We enjoy community service and giving back to people who give us so much support. We are excited to return and support this program again next year.”

“I cannot tell you how valuable this program is for our family,’’ said Leeann Bartushak, a Branchburg parent in the program. “Having a child with special needs can become isolating, particularly when you also have typically developing children. There isn’t much you can do as a family because activities are split up. I have one child, Jake, who regularly participates in the program and another, Catherine, who now volunteers for the program. It’s great for siblings because they see the value of giving back and they grow up with those values.”

Basking Ridge resident Art Raynes, a Somerset Hills YMCA board member, began the program in 1993 at a time when there were few services for children with autism. Raynes has a son on the spectrum. He and his wife, Pat, who was captain of the Rutgers track and cross country teams, are both alumni and longtime Rutgers fans.

Bernards Township Committeemen John Malay and Thomas Russo were also on hand to watch the program on Feb. 25.

“It’s great to have long-standing programs like this in our community. The Y is vital to providing important resources like Saturdays in Motion to support families in need,’’ said Russo, who attended Saturdays in Motion for the first time. “I was inspired to see so many young volunteers and to see the Rutgers athletes embrace that spirit of volunteerism.”

For more information on the program, contact Stephanie Jasinski at (908) 766-7898, ext. 503, or at www.somersetcountyymca.org/sim.

Source: http://www.newjerseyhills.com/bernardsville_news/news/rutgers-athletes-help-at-ymca-program-for-autistic-children-in/article_132caf68-d51f-5ccc-8901-3e94ac3e6b80.html

The Lee Road Elementary School Community Service Committee in Levittown collected supplies for troops serving abroad, which benefitted the Long Island nonprofit organization Boots on the Ground NY.
The students and their families collected individual snack packages, hot cocoa, coffee, baby wipes and socks that will now be included in assembled care packages and shipped overseas.

Photos courtesy of the Levittown School District

Photo Caption: The Sanford H. Calhoun High School cheerleaders hosted a youth cheerleading clinic on March 11 for kindergarten through eighth-grade students in the local community. Part of the proceeds will be donated to the upcoming Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Relay for Life event.

Photo courtesy of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

Parkway Elementary School students in the East Meadow School District raised more than $5,000 for the American Heart Association by participating in the schoolwide Jump Rope for Heart program on Feb. 16.
According to its website, the American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To assist in the battle, schools can host Jump Rope for Heart or Hoops for Heart fundraisers that promote physical activity, heart healthy living and community service.
During their gym classes, students in grades 1-5 divided into groups where they exercised their heart muscles by jumping rope to popular pop music and played double dutch with gym teachers Kelly Rohan and Michael Romanotto. They also learned about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle while raising money for the community.
A special thank-you to the Parkway PTA for providing refreshments for students to recharge while working out.

Photo Captions:
1) Parkway Elementary School fifth-graders sported their Class of 2017 T-shirts as they participated in the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope for Heart program on Feb. 16.

Photos courtesy of the East Meadow School District