Last year, Grizzly student athletes gave back to their community in an impressive way, with 2,100 hours of community service. This year, they did even more, with a 50% increase in total hours (3,100 hours)

“I really think it’s the student athletes and the coaches, and our staff buying in that this idea is community service is one of our core values, and our key points. I’m very proud of what the student athletes have done,” says UM Athletic Director Kent Haslam.

The organizations they gave back to were all across the board, including, but not limited to Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, the Poverello Center, Watson Children’s Shelter, and the Montana Foodbank.

“We really try and help whoever we can help. I think certainly our student athletes working with children, for them, is very rewarding, and that’s been where a lot of the focus is. But we’ve run the gamete of age groups, all the way from elementary schools to senior citizen centers throughout the Missoula Valley, but it’s a much more coordinated effort than in the past which has made it easier for us to respond to the needs of people,” says Haslam.

And there’s plenty of gratitude from the groups that get help from the Griz athletes.

“It’s great, I get notes, emails, we get pictures. It’s really been very well received, and again for our student athletes it helps them really connect with the community and help them realize how blessed they are, and how great they have it, and it shapes them for the future,” says Haslam.

And for Athletic Director Kent Haslam who has seen the community service hours improve every year since he’s been at the helm, it means a lot.

“Certainly watching student athletes graduate is the absolute pinnacle, but also seeing them learn and grow by connecting in the community and the maturity that comes through that process, it’s been beyond what I could imagine,” says Haslam.

To learn more please visit: http://www.gogriz.com/

In the span of six months, Fighting Scots student-athletes donated nearly 1,000 man hours throughout the Warren County area. Whether as individuals, or as a team, in the past year the Fighting Scots made a difference at their home-away-from-home.

The Scots’ largest team – football – generated the most man hours for a single event. The team’s annual Cleanup Day in mid-April accounted for more than 300 man hours of service, fanning out to nearly 20 different locations one Saturday morning.

Monmouth’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) had representation from nearly all 22 varsity sports, sponsoring a Special Olympics practice for special needs residents in the county. Approximately 60 student-athletes combined to provide instruction in a variety of sports at the annual SAAC event, accounting for more than 120 man hours.

Other volunteer activities ranged from a reading program at the local schools to soliciting canned goods donations and the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics.

Plans are already under way for even more projects next year, and with the addition of lacrosse in the 2016-17 academic year, expect the Scots to donate more than ever.

To learn more please visit: http://www.monmouthscots.com/news/2015/5/12/GEN_0512152156.aspx?path=baseball

WAREHAM, Mass. – Nicole Pruchnik (Rochester, Mass.) of the Southern Connecticut State University gymnastics team recently volunteered as a guest gymnastics coach for youngsters in her native Massachusetts.

This event is just one example of many community outreach events that SCSU student-athletes take part in on an annual basis. SCSU student-athletes volunteered more than 4,000 hours of their time to numerous outreach efforts, both on-campus and in Greater New Haven, during the 2014-15 academic year.

Source: http://www.southernctowls.com/news/2015/6/1/GEN_0601150251.aspx

Carle Place High School student organization and key club officers submitted several successful fundraisers to the Spring Community Service Challenge by TeamUp4Community. Carle Place had two events featured in the top seven finalists from across Long Island and both events took home a top grant prize. Our Battle of the Classes Battling for a Cause fundraiser and the Student Teacher Fashion Show both placed in the top three community service events for Long Island schools this spring. As a result, each of the organizations received a $3,000 check for first-place and a $500 check for a third-place recognition. It is the first time the organization has had dual winners from one school.

To view more please visit: http://www.cps.k12.ny.us/news/

On June 9, the Sewanhaka High School Students and Teachers Against Cancer (STAC) club held a Cardio and Kickboxing Class to help raise money for the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

In total, 60 students participated in the class, which was run by a professional personal trainer. A special thanks to Antonietta Cesare’s seventh-grade math classes and the varsity cheerleaders, who were the top contributors to the event. The STAC club was thrilled to raise $2,510 for this worthy cause.

Photo Caption: Students participated in warm-up exercises at the beginning of class.

Photos courtesy of Sewanhaka Central High School District