Last week, the LIU Post men’s lacrosse team participated in the school’s 15th-annual Turkey Trot to support the United Veterans Beacon House in Bay Shore.

The Pioneer student-athletes donated over 100 food items and several bags of clothing to the homeless veteran population, while running in the 5k.

Formed in 1994, the United Veterans Beacon House provides their residents with a host of supportive services, including case management, transportation for medical visits, education and job placement programs.

“This is a great campus community service event that helps our local homeless veterans,” said Head Coach John Jez. “I was very pleased with the team’s dedication to our veterans and we are all driven to support them in any way possible.”

For more information on the United Veterans Beacon House, please visit UVBH.com.​

On Monday, Nov. 7, Valley Stream North High School’s Senior High Student Council sponsored a Volleyball Tournament in support of Building for America’s Bravest, a program of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The initiative builds Smart Homes for catastrophically injured service members returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Twenty-one junior and senior high school teams competed in this friendly sports challenge, and $1,000 was raised for the cause. A bake sale and raffle prizes were among other highlights at this meaningful event, which was won by Team Diversity. Andrew McClure, the director of marketing and development for the Steven Siller Foundation, attended and spoke with students.

Photo Captions:

Twenty-one junior and senior teams competed in this event, which raised $1,000.

Photos courtesy of the Valley Stream Central High School District

In addition to their determination on the field and in the sports arena, Herricks athletes consistently make many efforts to help others and give back. Their service initiatives held during the fall season were largely successful and resulted in donations and contributions that will help to make a difference in others’ lives.

The football team raised money and awareness for Stop Soldier Suicide, a non-for-profit organization devoted to helping veterans. The director of Stop Soldier Suicide, Major Ian Fuller (US Army Retired), traveled from North Carolina to participate in this initiative and attend the homecoming pep rally and game. He was joined by Herricks alumnus Corporal Aaron Kim (US Marine Corp) and Sargent Frank Wirth (US Marine Corp).

Youth Against Cancer and the Herricks Football Program organized the fundraising project, “Herricks Tackles Leukemia,” which took place on Oct. 22 at the Herricks vs. MacArthur football game. This effort benefitted Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Pediatric Cancer division in honor of Ashley Kong, a Herricks student who lost her battle against leukemia two years ago. Orange is the color of Leukemia and the students sold orange t-shirts and bracelets throughout the week. Students and faculty donned the orange t-shirts in school on the Friday prior to the game as well as at the game. Youth Against Cancer volunteers sold baked goods at the game, and Ashley’s brother Taylor performed the opening coin toss.

The girls and boys varsity volleyball teams raised more than $1,400 at their annual Dig Pink Rally on Oct. 6 to benefit the Side-Out Foundation. The girls team took on Uniondale and the boys played against Syosset. This event brings together volleyball players from across the nation to raise funds for breast cancer research, demonstrate the power of teamwork and show support for people with the disease. All monies collected through Dig Pink support Side-Out’s game-changing cancer research and programs to develop the whole player.

Photo Captions:

Football Fundraisers: Herricks football players raised money and awareness for the Stop Soldier Suicide organization, as well as Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Pediatric Cancer division.
Dig Pink: The girls and boys varsity volleyball teams raised more than $1,400 at their annual Dig Pink Rally on Oct. 6 to benefit the Side-Out Foundation.

Photos courtesy of Herricks Public Schools

The youth in our community are constantly bombarded with some degree of influence. It can be very easy to overlook these moments, good or bad, especially in the busy lives we lead.
One great thing about the community we live in is the unselfish character of the local athletes that represent our local schools.

Recently, some of the Sonoraville High football players volunteered their time to attend a Gordon County 9-10 football team practice. They assisted with drills and spoke on the importance of being a student-athlete.
“It is a tremendous opportunity for this handful of 9 and 10 year olds to be coached up and stand side by side with some of their local heroes that play on Friday nights.” said coach Brian Chastain.
“It is also great to be a part of a community that is so willing to support their youth in whatever endeavors they want to pursue. The middle and high school coaches and Gordon County Parks and Rec staff have all certainly played a large role in providing any tools to help these young athletes to learn and better prepare.”

The players that volunteered their assistance that are Tate Moore, Russell Johnson, Bailey Reece and Trent Holley.
Many times these high school athletes, from Calhoun, Gordon Central and Sonoraville, have given their time to the next generation without receiving any recognition at all.
It’s great to see that all of the schools in our community are contributing to the positive growth of our future student-athletes. Situations like this can seem like a small matter to most, but to the young children in our town, it can motivate, as well as promote, the kind of positive and selfless attitude we want them to have as they progress through their academic and athletic careers.
The 9-10 Phoenix All-stars would like to thank the players, the coaches and all those who contribute to the student athletes in our community.

Source: http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/calhoun_times/sports/local/local-highlight-sonoraville-players-volunteer-time-to-help-youth-team/article_80d65b04-ad04-11e6-a797-73fc3de2aa84.html?mode=image&photo=0

In the run-up to their Thanksgiving break, some Monmouth University football players were getting set for their matchup this weekend against Gardner-Web University in North Carolina.

But first, they had to take care of some other business on Thursday: Helping to get food to the needy by assisting with the unloading of 2,000 turkeys donated to the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

As New Jerseyans continue to struggle in a lagging state economy, the FoodBank is relying on volunteers like the members of the football team to help manage the influx of donations to meet the demand for those who need it.

“We’re on a longer road to recovery than the rest of the country,” said Carlos Rodriguez, executive director of the FoodBank. “We see that in our long lines.”

Hunger relief advocates call it food insecurity – people living so close to the edge of poverty that even the smallest financial strain on their household budget can mean the difference between having enough money or not for food.

N.J. lost 5,600 jobs in October, unemployment falls to 5.2%
N.J. lost 5,600 jobs in October, unemployment falls to 5.2%
The Bureau of Labor Statistics revised up its estimated job gains for September.

Rodriguez said that despite economic improvements across the country, New Jersey hasn’t experienced that recovery yet, as evidenced by the number of residents receiving food assistance.

Located in Neptune and with a satellite site in Toms River, the FoodBank looks to provide enough food for 12 million meals this year, double what it provided just six years ago, he said.

The number of recipients still hasn’t dropped since the recession, he said. Since 2008, the FoodBank has continued to serve about 131,000 people – or 10 percent of the population in Monmouth and Ocean counties, he said.

It’s not just the unemployed who need help through the FoodBank and the 300 programs it provides in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Rodriguez said more than 60 percent of the families receiving assistance through his organization have at least one person working, but it’s usually a part-time job that doesn’t pay enough to make ends meet.

To help ease that pressure, the Stop & Shop grocery store chain donated 2,000 turkeys to the FoodBank as part of its Turkey Express program, which delivers nearly 21,000 turkeys to hunger relief organizations in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island this holiday season.

“One of our promises is to be a better neighbor,” said Carlos Ramos, Stop & Shop district director. “We look to be not only a supermarket but (also) a partner with the community.”

Monmouth University football coach Kevin Callahan said community outreach and service is important to the school’s football program.

“Our players understand the importance of giving back to the community,” Callahan said. “As college student-athletes, they have a lot of benefits. This is just a way to help others who maybe aren’t quite as fortunate as they are.

The 20 football players and three coaches are part of the growing number of FoodBank volunteers, which helps the agency keep its costs low, Rodriguez said. He said volunteers racked up 28,000 hours this year, compared to nearly 20,000 hours a few years ago. That need is just as strong year round, he said.

After putting in their time at the FoodBank, the football players headed back to school for classes before getting on a plane Friday morning for North Carolina. They’ll go knowing they’ve helped families have a Thanksgiving dinner.

“It’s very important to give back to the community,” said lineman Christian Runza. “It’s always great to give back to the less fortunate and make sure that everyone has the proper Thanksgiving.”

Source: http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2016/11/monmouth_u_football_players_challenge_hunger_at_th.html

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.