Bronxville School’s athletes collaborated with the younger members of the community and led a number of activities to raise money for a variety of charitable organizations during Spring Spirit Week, held April 15-21. The annual Spirit Week, sponsored by the Athletic Council, was originally intended to build community spirit around athletic events, but has had a bigger impact over the last few years.

“The students saw an opportunity to add a charitable component to their events that not only helps foster spirit, but also acts as a means of giving back to the community that supports their efforts,” Athletic Director Karen Peterson said.

To kick off the week, the boys and girls track teams offered a free clinic to more than 170 students in grades one through five on April 14. During the annual pep rally and senior/faculty volleyball game the following day, members of the Athletic Council celebrated athletic, academic and artistic achievements.
Also on April 15, the baseball team raised more than $1,000 for the Zoe Klimley Scholarship Fund on Baseball Fan Day, when they invited youth players to the game for fun and prizes. The boys and girls lacrosse teams held their fan days on April 18 and 19 and raised more than $12,500 for the One Love Foundation, which raises awareness about relationship abuse.

On April 16, members of the Athletic Council and Student Faculty Legislature held the inaugural Thomas Jakelich Soccer Tournament at Chambers Field in honor of former Bronxville student and avid soccer player Thomas Jakelich, who died of injuries he suffered during a soccer game in the fall. The event, which brought together more than 150 student-participants and 100 spectators to honor Jakelich’s memory, including students from the Loyola School, Tuckahoe and Yonkers school districts, raised more than $3,500 for the Thomas Jakelich Memorial Scholarship Fund.

In addition, the golf and mountain bike teams assisted with building bicycles for troops and their family members through the Home to Hearts Bike Build event on April 30.

“Our students have raised more than $16,500 this spring for charitable causes,” Peterson said. “Not only have they raised money, they have had the opportunity to create, implement, at times struggle, and emerge as better leaders and citizens through our co-curricular program.”

Photo Captions: Bronxville School athletes led a number of activities to raise money for a variety of charitable organizations during Spring Spirit Week, held April 15-21.

Photos courtesy of the Bronxville Union Free School District

Founded on Long Island in 2007 by former NY Islander Steve Webb, the W20 Foundation is committed to creating an environment where our youth athletes and others want to partake in community service and surround themselves with other like-minded, positive people who care about social responsibility.

In 2011, the Foundation launched the Team Up 4 Community Project (TU4C). TU4C engages and empowers youth athletes and others to initiate community service projects through its online challenges .

The platform also provides them with an interactive set of resources to advocate and promote their social responsibility amongst their peers, family, schools, organizations, and communities.

TU4C serves as a central hub and a launching pad to help develop new programs to meet athletes, organizations, and community needs.

Since the launch of the Team Up 4 Community Project, the Foundation has recorded over 629 Community Service Projects and 129,848 Hours of Community Service Work provided by over 24,342 Long Island Youth Athletes. The estimated economic impact of these projects is valued at almost $1 Million Dollars! Our goal is to surpass $1 Million Dollars in IMPACT by the end of the 2015-2016 Community Service Challenges.

Team Up 4 Community ‘s Online Challenges are making community service contagious!

To view the Invitation, Details and Pricing Please visit: http://teamup4community.org/files/pdfs/sports-impact-awards-banquet.pdf

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Teachers and administrators from Dutch Broadway School in Elmont faced off against student-athletes from the Henry Viscardi School during three exciting Wheelchair Basketball games on April 21.

Dutch Broadway physical education teachers Deb Bennett and Glenn Saenz, along with Bennett’s childhood friend Viscardi Center coordinator Joe Slaninka, organized the Wheelchair basketball games as an offshoot to the school’s Disability Awareness Day. The annual event brings Viscardi students to Dutch Broadway to speak about their disabilities as well as their hopes and dreams for the future.

“These events allow us to show our students that the Viscardi students are no different than they are,” Bennett said. “The students will also see that these kids are stronger than us and that the teachers are at a disadvantage in these games. Our hope is to teach our students empathy for others.”
Throughout the wheelchair basketball games, Dutch Broadway students cheered on both teams, celebrating each basket earned. While the teachers fought hard and had some success in earlier games, the third match up was a blow out, with Viscardi students winning, 58-12.

Photo Caption: Dutch Broadway teachers and Viscardi School students are pictured with fourth-grade students, who were spectators during game one.

Floral Park Memorial High School’s Student Council, advised by Mrs. Carolyn Faggioni, hosted a 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament to raise money for Wounded Warriors on April 21.

Congratulations to senior high winners Andre McDuffie, Jack O’Connor and Adesh Singh. The senior high runner-ups were Connor Fitzgerald, Connor Hodgson and Bobby Shinde.

Photo Caption: Pictured (l-r): Floral Park Memorial students Adesh Singh, Jack O’Connor, Andre McDuffie, Connor Fitzgerald, Bobby Shinde and Connor Hodgson.

Photo courtesy of the Sewanhaka Central High School District

Over the past wrestling season, the Westhampton Beach High School varsity wrestling team raised money to support two organizations, the Live Your Cor and the Lustgarten foundations.

Through a pin-pot fundraiser, the student-athletes collected $1,300 for the Live Your Cor Foundation, which was created in memory of Westhampton Beach wrestler Cory Hubbard. The organization assists families affected by personal tragedy and also provides scholarships to Westhampton Beach students. This is the second year that the wrestling team has held a pin-pot fundraiser for the foundation. Last year, the wrestlers locked in $2,000 in pledges for pins made during matches.

In addition to raising money for Live Your Cor, the wrestlers raised $900 for the Lustgarten Foundation, which supports pancreatic cancer research. The funds were donated in the name of Jina Tanzman, the mother of wrestlers Alex and Matt Tanzman, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2013. This is the fourth year that the team has raised money for this organization through the sale of their purple T-shirts, which adorn the initials, “JT” on the sleeve.

Photo Caption: The Westhampton Beach Varsity Wrestling team presented a check to the Live Your Cor Foundation. Pictured (l-r) are Assistant Coach Pete DeTore, Holly Hubbard and Ralph Hubbard of Live Your Core and Assistant Coach Ethan Mitchell.

Photo courtesy of the Westhampton Beach School District