The nation commemorates Veteran’s Day this Friday, Nov. 11 and Wisconsin’s student-athletes started the week observing the holiday early by spending time with veterans playing bingo and sharing stories.

Tuesday, student-athletes visited the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 7591 to participate in their weekly Tuesday night bingo game that is open to the public. Student-athletes help sell raffle tickets for prizes for everyone who attended, in addition to calling out the winning numbers and awarding the bingo winners.

The night was filled with happy spirits and big winners.

“The turnout of people who came out tonight to play bingo is amazing, said Angela Morrow, a UW sophomore softball pitcher. “With all that’s happening tonight with the election, it’s great to see them here smiling and cheering each other on!”

Wednesday morning, student-athletes visited with veterans at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital. During the visit, veterans shared life experiences and words of advice with the student-athletes.

“This was really nice, being able to come out and thank the veterans for serving our country,” said Nica Wardell, a sophomore women’s rower.

“I loved how willing they were to share their life stories with us and how excited they were in wanting to learn about me and the other student-athletes.”

We give honor to our veterans, to all the brave men and women of our armed forces whether at home or abroad, active duty, reserves, or retired, we salute you!

Source: http://www.uwbadgers.com/news/2016/11/11/badgers-give-back-honoring-all-who-served.aspx?path=giveback

A day in the life of a student athlete consists of extensive training on top of managing classes and balancing schoolwork. In short: it’s a demanding lifestyle. And on Tuesday nights, when many students are doing homework, participating in extracurriculars or attending labs, the athletes of Emory’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving team are in the pool, not practicing but coaching members of the local Special Olympics program.

The origin of Emory’s partnership with the Special Olympics program can be traced back 18 years, when Emory alumni Erik Johnson (98C) and Andrew Dober (99C) coached Special Olympic teams at the local YMCA. After they graduated, the Special Olympic team lost their pool time at the YMCA, so the program was undertaken by Emory’s swimming and diving team. Since then, special needs adult swimmers from throughout metro Atlanta and DeKalb County, collectively called the Metro Ducks, gather every Tuesday night at the WoodPEC pool to receive coaching from Emory swimmers.

“We’ll all do some stretching together and then get in the water, and the Emory swimmers will coach and help out the Special Olympic swimmers with their strokes,” program coordinator and College junior Shelby Fruge said. “We always talk to them, as well, and ask them how their days are going, so it’s important that we all have good relationships with them.”

Prior to arriving at Emory, Fruge had experience with special needs children through her mother’s work with them. Fruge also helped out with the Special Olympics team at her high school. Her involvement in helping the Special Olympics team at Emory started her freshman year and has evolved into an extracurricular about which she is truly passionate.

“I was lucky to be given the coordinator position, and I’m loving it so far,” Fruge said. “I’m really excited to be able to take the team to new levels this year and next year.”

While the Emory swimmers only volunteer with the program for an hour a week, the eye-opening elements they gain from the program are monumental.

“You realize how easy it is to get caught up in your own life, so just having that hour a week to give back is a humbling experience,” College senior Annelise Kowalsky said.

For the swimming and diving team, participation in the program is not mandatory. However, this has not reduced athletes’ enthusiasm for coaching the Metro Ducks. In addition to having Monday team meetings that cover the Metro Ducks program agenda for the following Tuesday, the Emory swimmers consistently emanate support for the Special Olympic athletes.

“[The Emory swimming and diving team] is a large group, so the numbers that come out and help Tuesday nights are unreal,” Fruge said. “A lot of us have been swimming for years and some of us our whole lives, so being able to combine a sport that’s so instrumental in our lives with this type of volunteer work really takes it to a higher level for us.”

In addition to the student athletes, Emory alumni who have been extensively involved with the program since their Emory days also regularly attend and coach the Special Olympics practices.

“I’ve swam my entire life, so doing something like this really helps me reconnect with the sport,” former program coordinator and alumna Carolyn Bonfield (16C) said. “I just want people to understand that it’s okay to be around people who are different from yourself and to try something you’ve never done before, because it may even become a passion, like it has for me.”

Head Coach Jon Howell is a primary team advocate for the Special Olympics program and volunteers at the pool Tuesday nights, as well.

“Athletes take away from this program a certain gratitude in which they are able to share their experience and love for the sport with somebody who has special needs,” Howell said. “They really get to know [the Special Olympic swimmers] and be apart of their lives, so I really think we make a difference in their lives overall.”

The Metro Ducks will compete at the Georgia Summer Special Olympic Games hosted at Emory May 19 to 21.

SOURCE: http://emorywheel.com/swimming-and-diving-team-combines-love-of-sport-with-volunteering/

As part of its participation in the Pac-12 China Game this week in Shanghai, the Harvard men’s basketball team worked with children from the Yao Foundation on Thursday afternoon during the team’s visit to Shanghai Disney. The game’s partnership with the foundation is a new addition to the activities surrounding the contest between the Crimson and Stanford, which will be played at noon on Saturday (GMT+8) at Mercedes-Benz Arena.

“Yao Ming has been perhaps one of the world’s greatest ambassadors for the sport of basketball and he’s been a friend and a great supporter of these efforts to bring the best of US basketball, particularly intercollegiate basketball, to China, to expose the best of amateur basketball in the United States to a Chinese audience,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said.

The Yao Foundation was established in 2008 by Yao Ming, the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, an eight-time NBA all-star, and a 2016 NBA Hall of Fame inductee, following a massive earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province.

The Sichuan Province sits in southwest China, approximately 1,000 miles west of Shanghai, Yao’s hometown. The earthquake that struck the area in May of 2008 registered as an 8.0 on the Richter Scale and was the 21st-deadliest earthquake in history, claiming nearly 70,000 lives.

Yao began the foundation to rebuild schools for children affected by the disaster. According to its website, over the past eight years, the Yao Foundation has expanded to focus on “the well-being and development of Chinese youth, primarily with regards to education, health, environmental protection, volunteerism and engagement.”

The Pac-12 is one of many organizations that has partnered with the Yao Foundation. It works alongside the China Youth Development Fund and has received support from the Houston Rockets and the team’s owner, Les Alexander, Reebok, former Houston Mayor Bill White, and NBA stars Baron Davis, Raymond Felton, and Steve Nash.

“It’s an important part of education for our student-athletes and an important part of that is teaching them to be responsible leaders that give back and Yao Ming is a great example of an iconic sports star that has taken seriously the idea of social responsibility and wanting to give back,” Scott said.

Students from the foundation had lunch with members of the Harvard and Stanford teams at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel on Thursday. Several will also be at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Saturday. Additionally, a portion of tickets sales from the game will go to the foundation.

Shanghai Disney
The Crimson, as part of its trip, closely interacted with students from the Yao Foundation when at Shanghai Disney. THERESA C. HEBERT
“This week I think has been a tremendous opportunity to develop our scholar-athletes,” Stanford coach Jerod Haase said. “Our interaction with the Chinese culture has been phenomenal.”

Yao is an iconic figure throughout Shanghai and all of China. Since retiring from the NBA in 2011, he has worked to give back to his home country through philanthropy as well as various business ventures. Yao has taken courses at Jiao Tong University, a Federation of University Sports of China school involved with the Pac-12 Global Initiative, and purchased his former Chinese Basketball Association team, the Shanghai Sharks.

“We’ve been very inspired by Yao’s vision about being about to use popularity, his status as a role model in China, to bring good and to bring opportunity to children and to bring awareness to causes to improve society here in China,” Scott said. “It’s very consistent with the values that our universities have, which are about training the world’s next leaders, and sport is an important part of that.”

Former UCLA star Bill Walton spent time interacting with children from the Yao Foundation during the teams’ trip to Disney. The children posed for pictures with the teams and had VIP access for a parade down Main Street at Shanghai Disney, for which Harvard coach Tommy Amaker and co-captains Siyani Chambers and Corbin Miller were marshals.

“This is the first year we’re doing it and we’ll look forward to building upon this over the years, but we’re delighted to have a close friendship and partnership with Yao and to support his activities here in China.”

—Staff writer Stephen J. Gleason can be reached at stephen.gleason@thecrimson.com.

SOURCE: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/11/11/shanghai-disney-yao-foundation/

Kindergartners in Tammy Cotrone’s class at Deer Park’s May Moore Primary School celebrated Veterans Day by creating a Wall of Heroes, which featured photos of family members and friends who have served or are currently enlisted in a branch of the armed forces.

Practicing their literary skills, students drafted a class letter describing their recent lessons on the origin and history of Veterans Day, as well as providing a formal “thank you” to the servicemen and women who protect the nation. Students also made messages for veterans and created a poster with their hands traced into a heart, expressing their gratitude. The well wishes were delivered to Babylon Town Hall for officials to distribute and share with local veterans.

“I come from a strong military family,” said Cotrone. “My dad, who is still alive and 91 years old, fought in World War II. My mom was also a sergeant in World War II, and my brother was in Vietnam. So I am so very proud to do this each year with my class. This holiday has a special place in my heart.”

IMG_2197: Kindergartners in Tammy Cotrone’s class at Deer Park’s May Moore Primary School celebrated Veterans Day by creating a Wall of Heroes, messages for local vets and a poster expressing their gratitude.

Photo courtesy of the Deer Park School District

MacArthur High School held its annual Pink Out football game where Pink replaced the traditional red, white, and blue school colors. This sea of pink spread from the football players wearing pink socks to the band adorning pink plumes to almost every spectator taking part in such a momentous event. The evening’s atmosphere was one of excitement as the fans cheered on the victorious Varsity Football team as they defeated the Elmont Spartans. Over 90 baskets donated by parent clubs, local businesses and staff were raffled off throughout the evening, and many other items were sold, including pumpkins, Christmas ornaments and Pink Apparel. The cause was also supported by the National Honor Society, Salk Connections Club, MacPac, and the Key Club. The annual Pink Out event, spearheaded by Tammy Mayer and Nicole Savage, was an unbelievable success, raising $16,258.00. Since Pink Out’s inception, MacArthur High School has donated over $60,000 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Greater NY.

Courtesy of Levittown School District.