QUEENS, N.Y. – In conjunction with University of Service Day, the St. John’s track and field team made a visit to the League of Yes on Saturday, Sept. 26. This is the 14th consecutive year that St. John’s student athletes have participated in University Service Day, a university-wide community service initiative.

The League of Yes, formerly known as the Miracle League, is a charitable organization that provides the opportunity for children with disabilities to play baseball. Former St. John’s track and field star Kristine Fitzpatrick founded the league’s Long Island chapter in 2010 and has helped turn this non-profit organization into a nationwide program, currently standing as executive director of the league.

“We were very pleased to have our team once again participate with the League of Yes for University Service Day,” said Head Coach Jim Hurt. “Kristine Fitzpatrick, founder of this organization, was a former track and field standout star with us, setting school records and winning BIG EAST titles. Her efforts with the League of Yes have brought the joy of participating in sports to hundreds of children who may have not had that opportunity previously. Seeing the smiles of these children and their families really made the day special for our team and we look forward to being there again next year.”

The track and field team joined together with the St. John’s baseball team to serve as a BUDDY, an acronym for “Because Unbelievable Dedication Deserves YOU,” for the program. Their roles included encouraging the children and helping them bat and run the bases.

The League’s mission is to establish and sustain baseball programs for people of all ages with disabilities. Their objective is to provide an opportunity for those individuals to experience the joy and benefits that come from participating in sports, as well as helping these children develop social skills and increase self esteem.

Story courtesy of www.redstormsports.com

QUEENS, N.Y. — The cornerstone of the Red Storm’s vibrant community service schedule, Dribble for the Cure went off without a hitch on Saturday morning, as the St. John’s men’s and women’s basketball programs teamed up to raise over $100,000 for the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation. 2015 marks Dribble for the Cure’s fifth year at St. John’s, placing the Red Storm’s cumulative fundraising efforts at more than $255,000.

Held in conjunction with University Service Day, the event drew several hundred members of the St. John’s community to Carnesecca Arena. Accompanied by the band, cheer and dance teams, and members of various other support groups, the participants gathered for a festival-like atmosphere before the tour of campus began just after 11:30 a.m.

The event began with several speakers greeting the assembled crowd. The first was PCRF Executive Director Jeri Wilson, who thanked the St. John’s community for its outstanding support of the cause over the past half decade. Next up was Dr. Mitchell Cairo, Chief of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at New York Medical College. Dr. Cairo was eager to report that since the PCRF started funding research over three decades ago, the survival rate of children affected by cancer has risen from just 20 percent to over 80 percent.

Next to the podium was Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw, Ph. D., President, St. John’s University, who spoke briefly about how giving back in efforts like this was a vital part of the University’s Vincentian Mission.

“At St. John’s, doing our best is a way of life,” said Gempesaw. “So today we will do our best to do good because we are St. John’s.”

The final speaker before the event began was Head Coach Chris Mullin.

“I want to thank you all for being here today to support the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and the work of Dr. Cairo,” said Mullin. “Dribble for the Cure has helped raise great awareness and funding for children’s cancer research. Because of your support with this event, PCRF and Dr. Cairo’s research contributes to increased survival rates of children with cancer and blood disorders. We encourage you all to keep coming back and keep supporting.”

Coach Mullin then went on to recognize a few distinguished guests in the crowd. First, Mullin acknowledged Lou Carnesecca and Jack Kaiser, a pair of St. John’s legends that greatly influenced his choice to return home. Mullin then turned his attention to a pair of former NBA superstars, Knicks great Larry Johnson and Hall of Famer Mitch Richmond. Last, but certainly not least, Mullin invited four pediatric cancer survivors to the podium to help him kick off the event.

About The Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (PCRF)
The Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (PCRF) is an independent, nonprofit organization, wholly dedicated to funding leading-edge pediatric cancer research nationwide. Since its founding in 1982, PCRF has raised more than $36 million toward the ultimate goal of ending pediatric cancers so children and their families can re-focus on the joys of childhood. This commitment has translated into immediate treatment for children with cancer by developing innovative treatment protocols, improving patients’ long-term quality of life, and supporting those scientists working on the precipice of important medical breakthroughs. For more information, please visit www.PCRF-kids.org.

QUEENS, N.Y. – Last Tuesday, Rachel Daly and Shea Connors of the St. John’s Women’s Soccer team spent their afternoon volunteering at the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club’s Back to School Bash, taking part in the Garden of Dreams event aimed at uplifting children in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn.

The event proved to be a star-studded affair, headlined by the no. 4 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis. The occasion also drew several other notable names, including New York Liberty alumni Kym Hampton and Sue Wicks, and the Knicks City Dancers. Each of the guests played with children at different athletic stations; Daly and Connors organized a soccer match, Porzingis, Hampton and Wicks shot around on the basketball court, while the Knicks City Dancers led the youngsters in a dance clinic.

The Red Storm has a vibrant history of lending a hand in the community, taking home the St. John’s Community Service Award four times since 2003. Last season, the Coach Ian Stone’s squad shared the end of the year award with the St. John’s volleyball team.

About Madison Square Boys & Girls Club
Since 1884, Madison has been saving and enhancing the lives of youth by providing after-school and summer programs for children in New York City’s most disadvantaged communities. Programs are engineered to empower each member to achieve three priority outcomes: Academic Success, Good Character & Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles. Every day, Madison provides thousands of children with a safe and positive environment, one where fun is encouraged and positive role models are plentiful. A founding member of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Madison currently serves more than 5,000 youth, ages 6 to 18, at seven sites throughout Brooklyn and the Bronx.

About Garden of Dreams
The Garden of Dreams Foundation is a non-profit organization that works with The Madison Square Garden Company to positively impact the lives of children facing obstacles. The Foundation works with 25 partner organizations throughout the tri-state area, including hospitals, wish organizations and community-based organizations, to reach children who are facing challenges such as homelessness, extreme poverty, illness and foster care.

Garden City, N.Y. — Upon returning home from a 1-1 road trip in Massachusetts and Vermont, the Adelphi University field hockey team hosted 300 girls from ages 8-12 in its annual junior league clinic with the Long Island Field Hockey Association (LIFHA) on Sunday.

Over 300 players from Nassau and Suffolk counties came to the Adelphi campus and received instruction from Panther players and coaches on the fundamentals of field hockey.

“It is always so special for the Adelphi field hockey team to host this clinic each year,” head coach Gloria O’Connor said. “It’s our way of giving back to an organization such as LIFHA and to help grow the game here on Long Island. I give so much credit to [LIFHA president] Carol Nesdill and all the work she does and continues to do. Three hundred girls got to experience Adelphi’s players and our beautiful facility, and this is one of our team’s favorite events of the year.”

An impressive total of 167 Syosset student-athletes joined 25,000 others from the Tri-State area and beyond to show their pride in their country and raise a significant amount of money for an important cause. Members of the Syosset High School Braves girls and boys cross-country teams, girls and boys soccer programs, football team, kickline squad, girls swimming team and girls volleyball team participated in the annual Tunnel to Towers Run on Sept. 27. The 5K run traces the footsteps of fallen FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller,
who strapped on his gear and ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001 to help save lives, ultimately losing his own. The event raises money to construct specially adapted smart homes for the most catastrophically injured first responders and service members.

This is the 13th year Syosset High School athletes have fundraised for the cause. The group sported T-shirts that read “Syosset Braves — Proud to be an athlete! Proud to be an American!” Even more remarkable than the student turnout was the amount of money raised by the Syosset athletes for Tunnel to Towers– $10,480, which brings the school’s 13-year total to just over $80,000.

“All the athletes and coaches did a phenomenal job…it was a great day to be a Brave,” said Diane Malley, a business education teacher and coach who coordinates the district’s participation in the program with other coaches and the athletic department. “We have all grown very fond of this event and the greater experience it creates for our student-athletes.”

Photo Caption: Syosset student-athletes donned T-shirts that read “Syosset Braves

— Proud to be an athlete! Proud to be an American!” for their participation in this year’s Tunnel to Towers run, through which they raised $10,480 for firefighters and first responders.

Photo courtesy of the Syosset School District