The Smithtown Central School District Athletics Department was recently honored for receiving the third place award in the W20 Foundation’s Project Team Up 4 Community annual Holiday Heroes Challenge.

The organization lauded the department for its commitment to making an impact in the community during the 2014-15 school year.

“Their community service work is commendable,” said the W20 Foundation’s Project Team Up 4 Community on its website. “They have done many projects that include raising funds and awareness for cancer research, to feeding the hungry and homeless on Long Island. Their projects clearly demonstrate the passion they have to making a difference in the lives of others.”

Representatives from W20 Foundation’s Project Team Up 4 Community attended a recent Smithtown Board of Education meeting to present Patrick Smith, Smithtown coordinator of physical education, athletics, health and nurses, with a $500 grant for their community service efforts. NBTY’s Helping Hands program is the corporate sponsor of the grant.

The school district has chosen to pay it forward by donating the $500 to a number of selected charitable organizations.

Photo courtesy of the Smithtown Central School District: Many Smithtown coaches whose teams were involved in the W20 Foundation’s Project Team Up 4 Community annual Holiday Heroes Challenge were on hand as Patrick Smith, Smithtown CSD’s coordinator of physical education, athletics, health and nurses (pictured third from left), accepted a $500 grant on behalf of the dept. for their community service efforts related to the challenge. The money will be passed on to multiple selected charities.

Source: http://patch.com/new-york/smithtown/smithtown-athletics-honored-altruism-0

Four decades of alumni on hand to watch Islanders face-off vs. Penguins

(Long Island, NY) On Friday, April 10th, beginning at 6:00 p.m., four decades of New York Islanders alumni will gather with fans and sponsors at Chateau Briand in Carle Place (NY) to “Toast the Coliseum.” The alumni will be hosting a “Viewing Party” for the Islanders penultimate game of the season as the current squad takes on the Penguins in Pittsburgh. The following night, the Islanders close out the year with the final regular season game ever played at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Proceeds from the Viewing Party benefit Pat LaFontaine’s Companions in Courage Foundation (CiC16.org); a not-for-profit that builds and supports interactive rooms in local children’s hospitals and Steve Webb’s W20 Foundation (W20Foundation.org) – a charity that assists young athletes in learning life skills through community service.

The Alumni will be available to sign autographs and take photographs, plus a special panel discussion will be held with the players sharing some of their favorite memories from the Old Barn. Raffles will be conducted throughout the evening. A special auction – that will include tickets for the next day’s final game at the Coliseum – will also be held.

Tickets to the event and sponsorship information are available at www.ColiseumToast.com. A comprehensive list of alumni scheduled to attend will also be updated at the site.

Queens, N.Y. – On Wednesday, March 11 – the first day of BIG EAST Men’s Basketball tournament play – the Conference will coordinate a collaborative service effort among the schools, supporting projects in New York City and on individual campuses under the BIG EAST SERVES umbrella. Over 75 members of the St. John’s Community will participate in the inaugural event, providing service at nine different locations for 16-straight hours.

In addition to partnerships established by the BIG EAST conference, member schools will also participate in their local markets through service-oriented projects on or around their campuses.

Volunteers from ten St. John’s athletic teams, as well as various student organizations will be assisting several organizations across Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Long Island, including: Bright Beginnings (Queens), St. John’s Bread & Life Soup Kitchen (Brooklyn), Ronald McDonald House (Long Island), Catholic Charities-Hillcrest Senior Center (Queens), Catholic Charities- Christopher Residence (Long Island), St. Nick’s Men’s Shelter (Queens), Bethany House (Long Island), and Midnight Run (Manhattan).

Dedication to service is a core value of BIG EAST member schools, each of which participates in a wide range of community outreach activities and encourages student-athletes, faculty and staff to make a difference in their communities.

“BIG EAST SERVES Day” complements a series of events the Conference is hosting this year in conjunction with its Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, including two panel discussions with sports industry leaders, with open attendance offered to all students, and the first-ever Conference-sponsored Career Networking Event on Friday, March 13 at Madison Square Garden.

Source: http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031015aah.html

SELDEN, N.Y. (Mar. 12, 2015) – On February 22nd, cheerleading and dance teams from East Coast Conference and other Long Island institutions joined together to perform in the ECC’s Sixth Annual Spirit Showcase. The event, combined with the selling of pom-poms by ECC member schools, raised over $7,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“The Spirit Showcase has become a real signature event for the ECC,” said ECC Commissioner, Dr. Robert Dranoff. “Each year we have been able to team with Make-A-Wish to help the story of the important work this amazing organization does. We got off to a rough start this year with some difficult weather, but the sun came out and it turned into one of the best attended, best fundraising efforts we have had.”

Each year the event is kicked off with a former wish recipient provided by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Suffolk County. This year’s speaker was Sklyer, from Long Island.

When Skyler was 12 years old, she was diagnosed with Alexander’s disease, a rare neurological disorder in her brain. During the next several months, Skyler had to undergo numerous MRIs, doctors visits and surgeries. When she learned she had been selected to receive a wish, she combined two loves: Disney World and baking. She traveled to Florida to work the pastry chefs at the Grand Floridian Hotel at Disney.

Skyler is now a student in the culinary program at Suffolk County Community College, and has been accepted to Johnson and Wales in Rhode Island where she plans to pursue a career in that field. She gives back to others in need, serving as a representative for Make-A-Wish of Suffolk County, speaking about the impact that organization has had on her life.

Also making an appearance at the event to sing the national anthem for the second straight year was former wish recipient and “The Voice” contestant, MarissaAnn.

Dranoff commented, “Special thanks goes to Make-A-Wish of Suffolk County and their volunteers for supporting us. Both Wish Alumni who helped out this year, Skyler, our featured speaker and MarissaAnn, last year’s speaker who returned to do another great National Anthem, were outstanding and helped to send the message to everyone there.

After Skyler spoke and MarissaAnn sang, the cheerleaders and dancers took center stage to perform in front of the crowd.

Although focused on participation from member institutions, the East Coast Conference opened the showcase up to local Metro New York squads. Performers included cheerleading squads from Adelphi, District of Columbia, LIU Post, Molloy, New York Institute of Technology, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Suffolk County Community College as well as dance teams from Adelphi, LIU Post, Molloy, Queens, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Suffolk County Community College. The step team from Molloy also performed.

Through ticket sales, raffles, pom-pom sales, and concessions, the East Coast Conference raised over $7,000 to donate to the foundation. The event has now raised over $22,000 for Make-A-Wish in its six-year history.

Dranoff wraped up his statements by saying, “Congratulations to all those schools and men and women who participated this year. It is really those students who help us raise money and awareness for this important cause. The enthusiasm they show and fun they have being part of the Spirit Showcase becomes contagious. We are very proud to be able to keep making this great event better each year. And, once again, Suffolk CCC stepped forward and gave us their gym for the program with coach Gina Caputo guiding her own teams and helping us organize another super event.”

Story COurtesy of Molloy Sports Information Department

Wantagh Middle School students collectively raised $9,100 for the AmericanHeart Association’s annual Hoops for Heart event. Julia Wilkinson was the top fundraiser having raised $1,150, with Jack Bruno in second-place ($340) and Tyler Burzenski in third-place ($252). The fundraiser coincided with a basketball fitness unit with physical education teachers Eileen Keener, Tommy Liguori and Gary Reh, who also placed interesting healthy heart facts on the gymnasium walls. A culminating activity included a “Knockout” game tournament with Kyle Graham and Julia Wilkinson demonstrating their athletic skills on the court by taking the lead on the boys and girls teams.

Photo A: (Center) Wantagh Middle School students Kyle Graham and Julia Wilkinson were winners in the school’s Hoops for Heart Knockout Game and are pictured with the school’s top fundraisers for the American Heart Association.

Photo B: (Back, l-r) Wantagh Middle School physical education teachers Gary Reh, Tommy Liguori and Eileen Kenner, Principal Dawn Matrochano and Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics Jennifer Keane are pictured with top American Heart Association fundraisers (front, l-r) Jack Bruno, Julia Wilkinson and
Tyler Burzenski.

Photos provided by Wantagh School District