LONG BEACH, N.Y. — NYIT student-athletes took a dip in the Atlantic Ocean on Super Bowl Sunday for a good cause.

With the temperatures flirting with 40 degrees on Sunday in Long Beach, the Bears participated in the Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Make-A-Wish.

Teammates cheered on the brave Bears during the event.

Of course, a pair of volleyball student-athletes who hail from Colorado broke the ice and entered the Atlantic Ocean first.

“We were the first ones in,” volleyball’s Keely Ruby said.

Added teammate Portia McIntosh: “I would say it was a little cold, but it was a great time. We’re here for the cause. We’re here for Make-A-Wish.”

Afterward, the swimmers and their less bold teammates posed for a group photo oceanside, by the jetty at National Boulevard.

“It was very cold,” men’s tennis’ Kevin Huynh said. “I can’t feel my feet.”

Dogwood Elementary School in the Smithtown Central School came together to support its Parent-Teacher Association while having fun and staying healthy on Feb. 1 by participating in a Boosterthon Fun Run.

In an effort to raise money for the PTA’s Cultural Arts program, students garnered pledges and sponsors from family members and friends for each lap they ran. In total, Dogwood Elementary School raised more than $28,000 to benefit its PTA.

The track was set up in the gymnasium, and students completed between 30-35 laps as teachers marked off each lap completed on the back of each student’s shirt.

 

Photo caption: Dogwood Elementary School in the Smithtown Central School District raised more than $28,000 for its Parent-Teacher Association during a Boosterthon Fun Run on Feb. 1.

 

Photos courtesy of Smithtown Central School District

When teams are interested in participating in Dig Pink initiatives, Side-Out stresses the impact they can have on their communities by hosting. Just by involving their school/club community, local community and breast cancer community, Dig Pink teams have an opportunity to increase their impact.

Side-Out understands the importance of community involvement and that’s why teaming up The W20 Foundation’s Project Team Up 4 Community (TU4C) just makes sense! The W20 Foundation is committed to creating an environment where our youth athletes and others want to partake in community service and surround themselves with other like-minded, positive people who care about social responsibility.

The W20 Foundation was founded on Long Island, NY, in 2007 by former NY Islander hockey player and current NHL Players Association representative Steve Webb and launched Project TU4C in 2011.

TU4C serves as a central hub and launching pad to help develop new programs to meet athletes, organizations, and community needs. Team Up 4 Community values the impact The Side-Out Foundation is making by utilizing the Dig Pink initiatives to empower thousands of young athletes to use their skills like teamwork, leadership and perseverance.

Youth athletes who host Dig Pink events are rallying their communities and schools behind them to make a difference on and off the court. With that mission in mind, Side-Out teamed up with the W20 Foundation and TU4C to enhance the goal of community impact. Teams being able to expand their reach within their community and beyond by utilizing the platform of TU4C gives them an opportunity to empower others to follow their lead.

The TU4C culture engages and empowers youth athletes and others to initiate community service projects through its online challenges. The platform also provides them with an interactive set of resources to advocate and promote their social responsibility among their peers, family, schools, organizations, and communities.

Through community service, like Dig Pink, athletes gain valuable experiences as citizens by engaging in leadership opportunity and skill development initiatives that have a positive impact on their communities. Consequently, The Side-Out Foundation and its Dig Pink initiatives provide community service opportunities for both students and student-athletes.

Side-Out and Team Up 4 Community are two foundations that are derived from the desire to assist those around them. Both foundations are focused and determined to galvanize strong, hard working, and caring athletes to challenge themselves for their communities and the people around them. So, it is perfect that Side-Out and Dig Pink are partnering to help provide a valuable inspiration and a resource to reach our audience and all athletes looking for a fun and empowering way to make a difference!

To read more about the W20 Foundation and its Team Up 4 Community (TU4C) Program, visit their website here. Take a moment on the website to share the impact you have made with Dig Pink and help inspire others!

In November, The Queens College swimming and diving teams braved the cold weather on Monday (Nov. 13) to help those in need by taking part in a Midnight Run in New York City.

Midnight Run was founded in 1984 and helps the homeless community with donations of warm clothes and toiletries to those who desperately need some form of comfort as the bitter winter bears down on the New York metropolitan area. The Knights spent most of the past weekend collecting items for the cause, then ventured into Manhattan to drop off the items at one of the many homeless shelters across the city.

“It just shows how an act of kindness can make a difference in someone’s life,” said senior Eric Yanez, who was a newcomer to the QC Midnight Run efforts.

Karen Cai, a freshman swimmer for the Knights, added that the time spent collecting and distributing the clothes was “well worth it. Knowing that the clothes they received will at least keep them warm throughout this winter is all that matters.”

To learn more about the Midnight Run initiative, please visit www.midnightrun.org.

 

http://www.queensknights.com/

In an effort to spread goodwill, the student government at Islip Middle School recently created “Busy Books” for young patients at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park.

Eager to show their support, the students donated unused coloring books and crayons to the cause and managed to compile hundreds of the Busy Books, which were delivered to the hospital by student government co-advisers Kaitlin Rooney and Christine Sheridan, Principal Tim Martin and Assistant Principal Bryan Miltenberg. Additional books were donated to Amara’s Butterflies Foundation, an organization that partners with Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.

“We hope these books brightened a child’s stay in the hospital by keeping him or her engaged with something fun to do,” said Rooney.

“I was so pleased with our students’ level of enthusiasm and investment in this cause,” said Sheridan. “They truly wanted to make a difference and support the children.”

 

Photos courtesy of the Islip School District