BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Last week, the Lehigh men’s lacrosse team wrapped up another fall semester filled with community service initiatives and making a difference in the lives of others. For ten weeks, the Mountain Hawks separated into four groups and spent Wednesday afternoons at four locations: Calypso Elementary School, Nitschmann Middle School, Lehigh Child Care Center and South Bethlehem Boys & Girls Club.

The fall community service initiative has been in place every year since head coach Kevin Cassese’s first season at Lehigh in 2007.

“It’s evolved over the last seven and a half years,” said Cassese. “For the first couple years, we just found as many events we could latch on to and people who needed help in the community – between schools, road races, soup kitchens or anywhere else. We went to a lot of different places, then it evolved into coming up with a specific day every week that we could just focus on community service.”

Ultimately, the community service turned into one-hour sessions on Wednesdays. Groups of approximately 11-12 players went to the same location for all ten weeks.

Student-athletes went to Calypso as part of the Big Buddy program where they helped the students with their academics for about 30 minutes, then spent the other 30 minutes at recess.

“I spoke to a teacher there who said she has a waiting list for kids that want to get into the program,” said Cassese. “She also said that out of all their programs, it has the best attendance. They love it.”

Meanwhile, this marked the first season the Mountain Hawks have gone to Nitschmann Middle School. The school calls it the Clutch program (for Lehigh’s mascot). The middle schoolers are taking on different schools and universities as their own. While there, the Lehigh student-athletes helped the youngsters with school work while also playing games.

Senior captain Lukas Mikelinich was one of the Mountain Hawks who went to the Lehigh Child Care Center. While there, he’d work with kids in the preschool and in the toddler room, playing games and puzzles, reading books and just having fun.

“It was a great experience and I know my group really enjoyed interacting with the kids,” he said.

At the South Bethlehem Boys & Girls Club, the Mountain Hawks helped the youngsters with homework, and played games like basketball, kickball, ping pong, chess, video games and more.

“A moment that really stood out to me was the last day, when the children were notified that we weren’t coming back. I could really tell how much of a positive impact Lehigh Lacrosse has made in their lives,” said senior Kurtis Kaunas, a local product out of Schnecksville, Pa. “They seemed to genuinely love hanging out with the guys.”

The Lehigh Lacrosse players are making a difference in others’ lives, but the community experience has been just as positive and impactful for them.

“Upon arrival, the kids’ faces would light up, especially the older ones,” said Mikelinich. “They would get so excited to spend time with us and it really made us feel great about giving back to our community. It means a lot to make a difference in a kid’s day, just by spending time with them and playing games. The kids really looked up to us and it was heartwarming to know what we’re doing was special to these kids.”

Student-athletes can get wrapped up into life at Lehigh, so an experience like this is beneficial on several different levels.

“It’s been really touching just to go around and watch the relationships that are developed between our players and the kids they’re working with,” said Cassese. “It’s really healthy, not only for the students, but also for our players, to form a relationship with young people and become a mentor to them. They’re able to talk about life and be really great role models for them.

“It also helps our players keep some perspective,” Cassese continued. “They get trapped in the world of Lehigh University, between school, classes and lacrosse. Everything is high-paced and they need to perform; everything is super scheduled. This allows them to step outside of those schedules and see what’s going on around them.”

The players have come out with many takeaways from the experience.

“Lehigh Lacrosse plays lacrosse for a reason. Often times we would get absolutely embarrassed in a game of basketball,” said Kaunas. “A lot of talented young individuals reside in the Boys & Girls Club. Another takeaway is to really take a step back and realize how much of an impact we have on our community because although it may not appear on the surface, we have a bigger impact than most of us realize.”

The Mountain Hawks also conducted Community Night during the fall where they taught young, aspiring lacrosse players the fundamentals of the game. From Community Night to Wednesdays in the fall, and more, the team takes pride in giving back.

“It’s extremely important for our team to participate in community service activities,” said Mikelinich. “We are lacrosse players, but we are also part of this community in Bethlehem and I think people really appreciate what we do. It’s very gratifying to know that you’re making a difference in the community. As a team, we have really embraced giving back to the community and it has made us a tighter-knit group knowing we can make a difference in something much greater than us.”

Like Lehigh men’s lacrosse on Facebook and follow on Twitter for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.

Source: http://www.lehighsports.com/news/2014/11/26/MLAX_1126140818.aspx?path=mlax

MADISON, Wis.– More than 1,000 Dane County families will receive a warm Thanksgiving meal this year thanks to the support of Badgers fans and the work of our student-athletes.

UW Athletics annual Red White Hunger Fight brought in more than 2,000 pounds of food during a month-long campaign that culminated on Monday. Started in 2007 by former UW women’s soccer player Michelle Dalton, the effort has provided thousands of Thanksgiving meals to Dane County families since its inception. This year, UW Athletics was proud to partner with the Community Action Coalition and the Goodman Community Center to increase the number of Thanksgiving meals provided to our community.

“The services that the Goodman Center and the Community Action Coalition provide are transformative for many area families,” said Kayla Gross, UW Athletics community relations coordinator. “We are deeply appreciative of the services they provide area families year-round and for their partnership with our effort. We couldn’t do it without them.”

To kick start the food drive, donation bins were first placed in all UW-Madison student-athlete locker rooms. A competition between the teams to determine who donated the most food resulted in women’s rowing coming away with the win. Elsewhere, a donation bin was also placed at Camp Randall Stadium for public donations, and a weeklong tagging-and-bagging run was implemented around districts in Dane County to encourage community contribution to the drive.

The campaign culminated on Thursday, November 20th, at the “Bring In Goods (BIG) Day,” where more than 30 student-athletes volunteered their time to help unpack, sort, organize and box the unperishable food donations gathered from the drive. The food was then given to Community Action Coalition, who distributes the goods to food pantries throughout the community. A portion of donations were also provided to the Goodman Community Center, who provide Thanksgiving Day baskets to low-income families the weekend of November 22nd. Many student-athletes also volunteered their time at this 3-day event, making personal connections with local families as they handed out food baskets.

“The support we received from the Madison community was outstanding during the Red White Hunger Fight,” said senior women’s rower Kate Moy. “Every house that we talked to was so willing to donate what they could and happy to participate and, to me, that means the world. This community is truly fantastic and really stepped up. I am so proud to belong to such a giving community with such a great heart.”

Thank you, Badgers. Happy Thanksgiving!

Source: http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/give-back/spec-rel/112614aac.html

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Continuing the mission of Niagara University’s commitment to community service, the Niagara University Department of Athletics spent this week preparing and delivering meals to families for Thanksgiving.

NU athletics participated in the annual “Thankful Thanksgiving” which is organized by Sam Giancola, Niagara University’s Academic Counselor for Student Athletes. “Thankful Thanksgiving” provides meal baskets to families during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Several teams, including hockey, women’s lacrosse, softball and men’s soccer, adopted families and delivered their baskets to them directly.

“It’s a pleasure to participate in the Thankful Thanksgiving again this year,” said men’s soccer assistant coach Miguel Rodriguez. “Being a part of Niagara athletics, we owe a lot to our community and during the holiday season this is a gesture of our thanks to them.”

On Thanksgiving Eve, Niagara University President Rev. James Maher, C.M., Director of Athletics Simon Gray, men’s basketball head coach Chris Casey and his team volunteered at the Community Missions in Niagara Falls. They prepared meals, sorted toy donations and distributed meals to families.

“Every day before practice starts, coach says we’re very fortunate, so people in positions like the positions we’re in should be able to help people who are less fortunate,” said sophomore guard Emile Blackman.

Source: http://purpleeagles.com/news/2014/11/27/Gen_1127144959.aspx

WASHINGTON, DC – The University of the District of Columbia women’s lacrosse team visited the Children’s National Medical Center in DC to do arts and crafts with children at the hospital on Friday, November 21st.

“With Thanksgiving coming up, this was a tremendous way to warm the hearts of these young kids and help them get excited about the upcoming holiday,” head coach Melynda Brown said.

The 14 student-athletes on the roster, Brown, and assistant coach Kaitlyn Pasko broke up into four different stations. One station was for painting a “Thanks-giving” tree, another was for coloring a Thanksgiving hat, another for making a turkey ornament, and finally one for making a turkey sippy cup.

“It was a great experience to work with the kids and create a little light to their day,” sophomore goalkeeper Dani Falco (Elementary Education – Middletown, NY/Valley Central HS) said. “Seeing them having fun was fulfilling, and I am glad we had this opportunity to bright their day.”

Freshman newcomer Genevieve Martinez (Fine Arts – Washington, DC/Achbishop Carroll HS) added: “It was an amazing experience to help with the kids during their journey with these wonderful activities of arts and crafts.”

St. Peter, Minn. – The Student-Athlete Volunteer Educators hosted a holiday themed Saturday Night in Lund on Nov. 22. Sponsored by SAVE and Thrivent Financial, the event was open to the entire campus and attended by more than 215 Gustavus students – many of whom were student-athletes.

“SNL is a unique event that Gustavus organizations sponsor as an alternative way to spend Saturday night,” said senior soccer player Heather Goff. “SAVE promotes healthy lifestyles and choices and therefore it’s a natural fit to sponsor a SNL event.”

Attendees to SAVE’s Saturday Night in Lund took part in a number of activities including gingerbread house and ugly sweater contests, card making, and other activities. Thanks to a generous donation by Thrivent for materials, participants also made tie blankets, which were then donated to the family of Assistant Athletic Trainer Matt Eberhardt and the Partners for Affordable Housing in Mankato. The Eberhardt family was recently displaced from its Kasota, Minnesota home after a house fire the morning of Nov. 18. With 92 volunteers putting in a combined 46 hours, Gusties made a total of 23 blankets. Two were given to the Eberhardts and 21 were donated to Partners for Affordable Housing.

Women’s hockey players get into the holiday spirit.

“Our holiday themed night was called #selfieswithsanta and included hot chocolate, holiday cards, gingerbread houses, and a guest appearance by Santa!,” Goff continued. “Thrivent Financial was generous enough to sponsor us and with a monetary contribution and we made a number of tie blankets that will be donated during this holiday season. This is our second year sponsoring the tie blanket project and it is a favorite of us SAVE members. Not only is it fun to pick out the patterns and make the blankets, but it’s a meaningful and wonderful gift. Who doesn’t love a warm, fuzzy blanket to wrap up in?”

The purpose of a Saturday Night in Lund (SNL) event is to provide late night, interactive, alcohol free activities for Gustavus students looking for something to do during the hours of 10pm-1am. Events are held in Lund Center.

“We as Gustavus student-athletes strive to integrate service into our daily lives,” said senior football player Matt Keller, who worked closely with Thrivent leading up to the event. “Whether it is picking up a teammate at practice or making blankets for people in need, helping others and community service are a integral parts of what being a student-athlete here is all about.”

A total of 14 Saturday Night in Lund events are held over the course of the academic year – six during the fall semester, three during January, and five during the spring semester. Recognized organizations on campus can submit an application/action plan to sponsor an SNL event. Organizations that are accepted are then given a set amount of funds to help facilitate the event. SAVE oversees all SNL events and receives funding from the Gustavus Student Senate. This funding allows for other organizations to sponsor such events.

“Service is so important to student-athletes at Gustavus because it is a way to give back to the people and the communities that have supported our athletic journeys,” Goff stated. “We couldn’t be the athletes we are today without them, and it’s always nice to have an opportunity to give back.”

SAVE was the first organization to sponsor an SNL event and has kept up the tradition ever since its inception in November of 2008. Two years ago, SAVE decided to add a service component to the late night activity and with the help of Thrivent Financial, that became a reality.

Source: https://athletics.blog.gustavus.edu/2014/11/25/save-combines-community-service-with-holiday-fun-at-saturday-night-in-lund/