Valley Stream North High School’s Physical Education Leadership class spent a day volunteering at the Mary Brennan Inn in Hempstead. Thirty students volunteered their time to sort clothes, stock the food pantry, move furniture and
serve lunch and coffee to the patrons of the INN. 

These efforts helped to provide more than 200 lunches, and students also handed out Easter baskets and helped clients shop for groceries in the food pantry.

Additionally, the class delivered food items and towels that they collected through a drive held prior to the visit.

Photo Captions:

1: Cianna Sarmiento, Enyonam Mensah, Danny Keane, Victoria Gray, Kaitlyn Mantel 

Photos courtesy of the Valley Stream Central High School District

HAMDEN, Conn. – Several members of the Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team visited Conte West Hills Magnet School in New Haven on Friday, April 1, to teach fourth graders about the sport of lacrosse. The students are studying local Native American tribes and have learned that the sport of lacrosse was originally played by many tribes throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region.14258

The Bobcats also spoke to the fourth grade students about the importance of academic achievement and the challenges of being a student-athlete in high school and college. According to junior Alex Hlesciak (Lumberton, New Jersey), “The kids who took part in the event have been learning about Native American history, and they were really excited to learn more about lacrosse, which they learned was played by Native Americans. We’ve visited Conte West Hills School to teach the basics of lacrosse in previous years, and the kids’ enthusiasm for the sport is always so high.”

The event at Conte West Hills is part of the athletic department’s Positive Play program that provides all athletic teams with opportunities to get involved in various community service initiatives. The afternoon was a perfect opportunity for Quinnipiac student-athletes to chip in on Quinnipiac Athletics’ Positive Play initiative. Quinnipiac is dedicated to the promotion and development of service, service learning, experiential learning, and civic engagement programs and initiatives that involve students in the local community and challenge them to critically examine the role their service plays in cultivating personal development and social change.

Quinnipiac will next be in action on Wednesday, April 6 as the Bobcats head to Siena for a MAAC game which starts at 3 PM.

Courtesy of http://www.quinnipiacbobcats.com/

Every Tuesday, FAMU’s Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) has participated in “Meals on Wheels,” a community service program in Tallahassee.

Meals on Wheels is a program that delivers food to elderly citizens in the community.

The Nationwide campaign seeks to address the challenges faced by aging seniors, ultimately working to combat their hunger and isolation.

When hearing of the program, SAAC advisor, Xavier Mackey saw it as a great way for student athletes to get involved in the community.

“When the idea was brought to us we decided it was a good way for us students to get involved because it allows us to remain humble and help those in need. As athletes we tend to forget how fortunate we are, so Meals on Wheels brings us back to reality,” said Mackey.

FAMU student-athletes pack into the university vans each Tuesday to embark on this journey, stopping first at the Elder Care Services center located on Tennessee St. There, the program director assigns a box, filled with hot and cold meals to be distributed, as well as a map and list of houses to deliver the meals to.

Fourth-year pre-occupational therapy student from Sandersville, Ga., and track runner Ashley Ivey, feels that this process is important to her because of the effect it has on others.

“I feel it is my duty to help give back to the university and its community in the best way I can. I always seek nothing in return. Just to see the smiles on their faces is a great reward,” said Ivey.

Third-year business administration student and football player from Lakeland, Sharard Saddlers agrees that the interaction with the elderly provides for a great experience.

“Meals on Wheels is a humbling and heartwarming part of my week. While most of the elderly are elated to see us, we’re even happier to see them week in and week out,” said Saddlers.

SAAC partakes in delivering meals every Tuesday and encourages student athletes from every sports organization to take part. Those who are unable to however, are presented with plenty of other opportunities to earn community service hours, all provided by SAAC.

FAMU has been recognized several times for its partnership with Meals on Wheels and the athletes insist that they will continue giving back to a community that has given them so much.

Meals on Wheels will end on Tuesday, April 19, and will resume in the fall.

By Evelyn Ross On April 5, 2016

Source: http://www.thefamuanonline.com/news/view.php/1019121/FAMU-Student-Athletes-Strike-for-Communi

There are many things a teenager may want to do after school on a Friday afternoon, but raking leaves and picking up trash likely isn’t very high on that list. However, when classes let out Friday at Denison High School, more than 130 students and a dozen coaches arrived in downtown Denison by the busload to do just that.

For the fifth year in a row, the DHS athletic department and student athletes traded in basketballs and footballs for rakes and shovels for an afternoon of service and community cleanup in downtown.

“This is a great way for them to give back and fulfill a need we have by taking care of trash and weeds downtown,” Main Street Director Donna Dow said.

In previous years, the city and school would partner early in spring for work over the weekend. However, events and festivals in downtown on Saturday forced the group to work Friday afternoon instead, she said.

The groups spread out from Heritage Park and covered much of downtown Denison. Dow said many of the leaves that fell during winter still needed to be cleaned up. Beyond just tidying the streets and sidewalks, Dow said she hoped that the work could serve as a lesson about littering for the students.

Denison High School Athletic Director Chad Rogers said the idea for the event came before his time with the school, but he immediately recognized the benefits to not only his athletes but also the community.

“It was a great idea and one I’ve never heard of that I wanted to continue,” he said.

Rogers said the cleanup is a good example of what community service is like for the students. He said there was no benefit to the students who showed up, and no punishment for those who did not attend.

“They are getting nothing from it,” he said. “They aren’t getting out of practice, they are just giving back because the community has given so much.”

High School junior Kentrell Mathenia said he likely would have been at home playing video games if he wasn’t volunteering Friday. Despite this, he didn’t complain because he said this was a good way to show his gratitude to those who support him and his teammates.

“We always get new stuff at the high school each year, so it feels good to be giving back,” he said.

Earlier in the day, city employees also worked to clean up downtown during their lunch break, Dow said, noting that there are talks to make this a regular event for city staff.

– See more at: http://heralddemocrat.com/news/local/denison-athletes-work-clean-downtown-streets#sthash.OXB8a9ju.dpuf

By Michael Hutchins
Herald Democrat

SMITHFIELD – It’s hard to find a bigger Aggie fan than Andy Pedersen. His dedication to Utah State University athletics and his distinct gameday wardrobe earned him the nickname “Captain Aggie” years ago. During games, he can usually found leading cheers among rowdy fans in the student section.

Day-to-day life has been a little more difficult for Pedersen the past few decades. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 25 years ago and hasn’t been able to do as much around his yard and house, but a lot of that work was taken care of Saturday morning when the USU football team showed up with Habitat For Humanity.

“They’re paying me back a little bit,” he said. “I’ve gone to all the games and cheered as hard as I can. They’re coming and taking care of some of the things I can’t do anymore.”
Head football coach Matt Wells had known for a while his team was going to give back to the community through Habitat For Humanity, but he didn’t know Pedersen would be the recipient until a few days before.

“It’s just a great opportunity for our young men and coaches,” he said. “We’ve been blessed with a lot. We’ve got great opportunities here to be student-athletes and be a coach at Utah State.”
Duane Smith, who is on the board of directors for the Cache Valley Habitat For Humanity, said USU is a big supporter of the organization. He said the football team was doing a little bit of everything at Pedersen’s house.

“You name it, they’re working on it,”he said. “They’re trimming trees, doing yard work, spring cleanup, painting the shed, painting the deck.”
Pedersen was especially pleased with work done inside his home.

“They redid our kitchen,” he said. “They’re taking care of our lawns, our flowerbeds, all kinds of things.”

In his younger years Pedersen went to school at USU. He estimated he has been to 1,400 to 1,500 different USU athletic events through the years.
“I go to all the games I can,” he said. “I go to all the girls’ games and the boys’ games. It’s something for me to do that I enjoy.”

Source: http://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/local/article_fe894376-f969-11e5-9157-4f62bb656b9d.html