Rita “Ellie” Auerbach spent a week in Kingston, Jamaica this summer working with underprivileged athletes. She spent most of her time teaching and coaching volleyball to local athletes, but she also participated in soccer and lacrosse activities.

“It was a great learning experience,” said Ellie. “The warmth and excitement of the people I met was infectious. I was so happy to share my love of volleyball. I had never been to Jamaica, so the entire experience was wonderful.”

Ellie, who will be a junior at Torrey Pines High School, collected used sporting goods before the trip, including athletic shoes and balls from her fellow players at the Wave Volleyball Club. Marie Zidek, University of San Diego women’s volleyball assistant coach, donated a full box of new volleyballs. “It was great seeing the USD logo bouncing on the courts in Kingston,” observed Ellie. “These players don’t often see new equipment.”

Ellie participated in the program created by Kevin Dugan, the founder of Fields of Growth – Athlete Volunteer Corps (AVC). Dugan, a Notre Dame graduate, formed AVC to expose student-athletes and coaches to the beauty, challenges and potential in the developing world. “Through selected readings, experiential learning, guided reflections and active service, AVC helps its participants grow and learn as they share their talents,” stated Dugan.

Some of the local athletes traveled over an hour each way by bus to be part of the program. “The local players ranged in age from 14 to 20 years old. I certainly learned a lot about coaching and a lot about Jamaica. I have even more respect for my coaches here in San Diego!” said Ellie.

The AVC participants stayed at St. George’s Jesuit College, where the musical Marley family attended school. The participants had time for guided excursions in the area, which further broadened their perspective. “Kingston is not the usual stop for tourists in Jamaica, so we had an experience that was quite unique,” reflected Ellie. “I hope to return next year.”

Ellie will be organizing further used equipment collections to ship to the athletes she met in Jamaica.

For more information about AVC, visit http://fieldsofgrowthintl.org

For more information about donating used athletic equipment, visit athletevolcorps@gmail.com.

Source: http://www.ranchosantafereview.com/news/2016/aug/07/tphs-student-travels-to-jamaica-to-teach/

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University’s 250 student-athletes from 17 sport programs along with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) recorded a total of 2,770 community service hours for the 2015-16 academic year, a near 400-hour increase from the previous year.

NKU student-athletes take part in numerous local and national community service projects and activities. The baseball team led the way with 683 total hours, while women’s soccer led the charge on the women’s side with 349 community service hours.

“I’ve always enjoyed giving back and being involved in community service projects. Being an NKU student-athlete gives us the ability to give back to an already amazing community,” said baseball player and SAAC president Kyle Colletta. “SAAC is great because it gives us a platform to help others as well as meet other student-athletes who want to get the most out of their experience here.”

The Norse posted 351 total hours of community service during the National Down Syndrome Society’s Buddy Walk in Cincinnati, which promoted acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.

Northern Kentucky’s student-athletes also gave their time to Habitat for Humanity (307.5 hours) to build two houses, helped run the PaneraThon race (168 hours), and also helped organizations such as Team Impact (146 hours), the Ronald McDonald House (110 hours), Highland Heights Community Garden (95 hours), Campbell County Schools (93.5 hours), Matthew 25 Ministries (78 hours), the Children’s Hospital (77.5 hours), Master Provisions (54 hours) and the Children’s Home of NKY (50 hours).

By performing 2,770 hours of community service, NKU’s student-athletes continue to reinforce the department’s core values including integrity, community interaction and university engagement.
Join the Uprising!

West Islip High School varsity boys and girls lacrosse players recently participated in the Friends of the Postpartum Resource Center of New York’s eighth annual Sounds of Silence 5K Run/Walk at Jones Beach, raising more than $25,000 for the center, which is located in West Islip.
West Islip seniors Alyssa Gillespie and Trevor Wills not only participated, but also won first place in their respective female and male 18 and younger categories. In addition to the varsity athletes who ran in the event, many of West Islip’s middle school students received community service hours for their volunteerism leading up to and during the event.

IMG_1132, IMG_1133: West Islip High School varsity boys and girls lacrosse players raised more than $25,000 for the Postpartum Resource Center of New York by participating in the eighth annual Sounds of Silence 5K Run/Walk at Jones Beach.

Photos courtesy of the West Islip School District

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Members of the men’s and women’s Florida State swimming and diving teams recorded combined total of 78 hours of community service this summer.

“Some of the kids came to me and wanted to be more active in the community,” Director of Student-Athlete Development Derrick Coles said. “They really stepped up. We found more activities for them and they were very reliable all summer. They did a fantastic job of promoting awareness and representing their sport and we’re looking to continue this trend well into the season.”

The teams spent the majority of their time at the Freedom School at FAMU on Tuesday and Thursday throughout the month of July. They spent time engaging with students in man activities that regarded nutrition, fitness and education.

Other volunteering experiences included assisting at the FSU Arts and Craft Camp in addition to the Freedom Church Preschool. Newcomers and incoming freshmen also did their part and assisted at two local community centers.

Leading the women’s team with 12 hours was rising sophomore Caroline Nava while juniors Jacob Urban and Chad Mylin logged seven hours each during the month of June for the men’s team.

In addition to her volunteer work in Tallahassee, rising senior Caroline Neil attended the ACC Student-Advisory Athletic Council meetings along with football player Wilson Bell from June 17-19, where representatives from each ACC institution worked together in order to build leadership, awareness, and to provide the NCAA and ACC with information.

“The experiences this summer were priceless,” Neil said. “I learned a lot and it was great to see what ideas everyone brought to the table and how we could work together and build off each other. I also learned a lot about how to develop as a leader and I want to take that to next level both back at Florida State and throughout the rest of my life.”

For more information on FSU swimming and diving visit Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Source: http://www.seminoles.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=32900&ATCLID=211095190

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Throughout the 2015-16 academic year, student-athletes from each of Eastern Michigan University’s 21 varsity programs took time out of their academic and athletic schedules to help out around the Ypsilanti community. With an emphasis on giving back to our local and campus communities, the student-athletes collectively participated in 5,077 volunteer hours.

“Engaging with our community is an ongoing focus for our Department of Athletics, coaches and student-athletes,” said EMU Vice President and Director of Athletics Heather Lyke. “Our student-athletes have risen to the occasion by participating in many events this year. There is no greater lesson our student-athletes learn than the importance of giving back to others. And there is no greater moment than watching the joy on a child’s face when they are impacted by our student-athletes.”

During the 2015-16 academic year, all 21 EMU teams continued the tradition of working closely with the campus and local community. In total, EMU Athletics completed more than 5,000 volunteer hours the second straight year, with a grand total of 5,077 hours logged.

EMU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president Julia Lombardi organized a social media blast day for Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. Through her leadership, all those connected to the Mid-American Conference member institutions were encouraged to post tweets using the hashtag “#MoreThanASport.” These posts were intended to be personal, introspective messages discussing the life-long impacts of the college athletics experience. The response to her call was remarkable, as hundreds of student-athletes from the MAC and across the country offered insightful comments about how their lives have been changed for the better by college athletics.

As news about the severity of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan spread, EMU Athletics partnered with other campus and community agencies and Corrigan Moving Systems to deliver several hundred cases of water to the Brennan Senior Center in Flint on January 29, 2016. Athletics department student-athletes, coaches and staff generously donated water and helped collect donations from other community entities. Members of our football team traveled to Flint on Jan. 29 to help unload the cases of water.

The EMU SAAC teamed up with Kleats 4 Kids to collect gently used or new athletic shoes to donate to the local community. Kleats 4 Kids strives to help underprivileged kids acquire the necessary footwear needed to play sports. From December through February, EMU Athletics collected footwear donations at home athletics events and the members of SAAC worked together to clean-up the footwear, before making the donation of over 100 pairs of shoes to the Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL). The Detroit PAL is an organization dedicated to building character in young people through athletic, academic and leadership development programs, impacting roughly 12,000 youth annually.

In an effort to instill more “EMU Pride” around the campus community, EMU SAAC and the EMU Office for Diversity and Community Involvement (DCI) teamed up for a sweatshirt exchange on-campus. Students from both organizations were at different locations on-campus with brand new athletics sweatshirts, with the Block E on the front. When they encountered an EMU student wearing a sweatshirt with the name or logo of another collegiate institution, they offered to trade that sweatshirt on the spot for the new EMU gear. All of the sweatshirts of other schools collected were donated to the Clothes Closet at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Ypsilanti. In total, 250 sweatshirts were exchanged.

EMU student-athletes participated in the 2nd and 7 Foundation’s Tackle Illiteracy program for the third straight year. A total of 210 student-athletes, representing 20 of our 21 varsity teams, visited 27 second-grade classrooms throughout Ypsilanti, reading to the children, handing out books and reminding students about the importance of reading. This year’s student-athlete participation total was a 20% increase over last year’s participants.