Nearly 100 IUPUI student-athletes and staffers participated in a day filled with community service and campus engagement on Monday (Jan. 16) as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Caring.

The athletics department’s participation was in conjunction with a larger university wide initiative and was headed by Evan Fruits.

“It felt good to see our student-athletes and members of our staff giving back to the community,” Fruits said. “I think we made an enormous impact on our campus and all over the city through our participation.

“Honestly, I think our student-athletes enjoyed the opportunity to work together to accomplish a lot of different tasks. I think we’ll continue to grow our participation numbers and make an even larger impact in the years to come.”

The day began with an early morning orientation session before groups dispersed across campus and throughout the city for multiple projects, ranging from cleaning, building, organizing and repairing.

Community engagement has been a vital piece of Dr. Roderick Perry’s vision for the department as part of his Jags Give Back initiative. All 18 varsity sports have engaged in community service activities and the total number of volunteer hours from the department has increased in the past year.

Source: http://www.iupuijags.com/news/2017/1/18/general-nearly-100-student-athletes-give-back-in-campus-wide-event.aspx

A number of senior citizens now have a grasp on technological functions and applications, including Skype, FaceTime and social media, thanks to Briarcliff High School senior Jenna Whalen. (dance)

Whalen, a dedicated Girl Scout, recently earned her Gold Award by devoting more than 100 hours to fundraising and teaching residents at Atria on the Hudson, an assisted living facility in Ossining.

After raising more than $2,000, Whalen purchased four iPad Air 2s to donate to the facility. She then worked with Apple staff to prepare lessons and exercises that she could deliver to the Atria’s residents. Through her efforts, the seniors learned how to use the iPads, download applications and use them to communicate with family members and friends.

The Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn, as it recognizes a positive and sustainable difference in one’s community.

Whalen will be officially recognized for the completion of her Gold Award project at a ceremony in Poughkeepsie in March.

Photo Caption: Briarcliff High School senior Jenna Whalen earned her Girl Scout Gold Award by fundraising to purchase iPads for Atria on the Hudson residents. She also taught the residents how to use the iPads to communicate with friends and family.

Photo courtesy of the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District

On Feb. 15, Long Beach High School students and teachers faced off in the second annual Student-Faculty Basketball Game. The event was organized by students Kate Hanson, Lily Yoemans, Jennifer Stern, Monica Spinelli, Paris Rubin and Rachel Cheung for their Creativity, Activity and Service project through the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.
The game served as a fundraiser for the EB Research Partnership, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing treatments and finding a cure for the rare and life-threatening condition, Epidermolysis Bullosa. The initiative was a great success, raising approximately $3,500 for EB and culminating in a 38-36 victory for the students.

Photos courtesy of Long Beach Public Schools

At the elementary level, students throughout the Mineola Union Free School District have been using their hearts for something healthy. In an effort to raise funds for the American Heart Association, students participated in the Jump Rope for Heart program during their gym periods. Pictured, kindergarten through second-graders at Hampton Street School raised $7,774 for the cause this year alone.

Photo courtesy of Mineola Union Free School District

The Massachusetts Maritime Student-Athlete Advisory Committee hosted the first of two Community Games basketball nights for Special Olympics of Cape Cod on Tuesday evening, as teams from Wareham, Plymouth, Freetown and New Bedford competed in four contests played inside the Clean Harbors Athletic Center.

The Wareham Wild Vikings, Plymouth Rock Masters, Whitney Academy and New Bedford Hawks took part in the event, and Buccaneer senior baseball co-captainAlex Rozak (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) and freshman women’s lacrosse student-athlete Erica Overstreet (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) served as referees for all of the games.

“The opportunity to give back to the community plays such an important role in the growth and development of our student-athletes, and our department is so honored to once again be involved with Special Olympics,” Massachusetts Maritime Director of Athletics Garin Veris said of Tuesday’s event. “We look forward to hosting these games once again in February and are grateful for the chance to be a part of this.”

The Massachusetts Maritime SAAC will host a second Special Olympics Community Games night at the Clean Harbors Athletic Center on Tuesday, February 16th.

For more information on the Special Olympics in Massachusetts and how you get involved, visit https://www.specialolympicsma.org/

Source: http://www.mascac.com/news/2015-16_News/MMA_Special_Olympics