BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UAB student-athletes visited Glen Iris Elementary Monday as part of a service project for the annual National Student-Athlete Day.

The student-athletes helped out in PE classes all day long. They helped run different stations teaching basketball, hula-hoop, jump rope and rock wall climbing.

National Student-Athlete Day was created in 1987 by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports. Since then, National Student-Athlete Day has gone from recognizing a small number of outstanding student-athletes in 1987 to honoring over 3,440,610 million since 1997. In 2012 alone, over 260,000 student-athletes were recognized.

“Taking part in recess with the kids was a lot of fun. It also gave us a chance to think about how lucky we are to get to play our chosen sports in college as we get an education,” said freshman women’s tennis player Catherine Ragon.

Student-athletes from the sports of men’s basketball, football, women’s tennis, bowling, volleyball and women’s soccer took part in the festivities today. The K-5 students at Glen Iris seemed to enjoy the surprise of having the Blazers in their PE classes throughout the day.

For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account, @UABathletics. For more information on Blazer student-athletes in the community, follow @UABsaac on Twitter.

Source: http://www.uabsports.com/sports/academics/spec-rel/040714aaa.html

WASHINGTON, DC – The University of the District of Columbia men’s soccer team completed two community service projects over the weekend.

On Friday April 4th the Men’s Soccer team attended the Georgetown Ministry to help the homeless of DC. An extremely worthwhile cause, the visit gave a valuable insight into the lives of those less fortunate.

“The daily plight for those with little help and way out showed the brutal reality of living in the city,” assistant coach Danny Wadeson explained. “The trip showed first hand the high number of cases of mental illness in the area and whilst the surrounds of Georgetown and DC may appear easy on the eye there are different communities that need help just to get through the daily grind.”

The team split into two groups as one stayed in the outreach center with head coach Matt Thompson while the others went out to see first hand the lives of those on the street. Armed with sandwiches, the student-athletes were graciously received in most cases as those in need would often share a story or pass on knowledge of what had happened in their lives.

“The experience brought home human need and the fact to never judge a person by appearance,” Wadeson said.

On Saturday, the student-athletes of UDC went to Keen to finish their community service engagements with the participants of St. Colletta School with Beth Green. Educating and providing a buddy for any child that stepped through the door, the players engaged their old and new friends through soccer activities.

A superb relationship which has grown from strength to strength over the last two years, the UDC Men’s Soccer program will look to continue their twice yearly visits to the center.

Reflecting on the two engagement initiatives, Wadeson said it was a great chance for the student-athletes and the coaching staff to gain perspective.

“These two visits have shown the players and staff how fortunate they are in their own lives, and the value of giving back regardless of environment. Being thankful for what we have is consistently overlooked in everyone’s life, and the simple need to help others less fortunate should never be underestimated,” Wadeson.

IRVINGTON, N.Y. (Apr. 4, 2014) – Members of the Mercy College women’s basketball, field hockey, volleyball and men’s and women’s lacrosse teams pulled together in an overall effort to lend a helping hand at the Abbott House in Irvington this past week.

Abbott House is a nonprofit organization serving three distinct populations: foster children, youth with mental health issues and adults with developmental disabilities. With services throughout the New York metropolitan area and surrounding Hudson Valley counties, Abbott House touches the lives more than 1,300 people each year.

The mission of Abbott House is to improve the lives of vulnerable children, adults and families. Serving children and families in need and people with developmental disabilities, Abbott House strives for excellence and absolute integrity in the delivery of services.

Women’s lacrosse goes to the Abbott House every Monday and Wednesday to lead different athletic activities in the gymnasium. On Wednesday, women’s lacrosse senior Kristen Znaniecki and freshmen Alexia Haines, Shianne Judson, Angelica McQuade and Jillian Rocco played a pickup basketball game in an effort bring some enjoyment to the residents.

On Friday, other members of the athletics teams on campus banded together to help clean out the basement and reorganize files at the administrative headquarters. Volleyball junior McKenna Ronan and freshman Rachel Witter assisted in the cleanup, among others.

NCAA Division III Week is a time where student-athletes can be celebrated for their charitable contributions in the community in addition to their athletic accomplishments. CUNYAC and its member schools will be conducting community outreach events and activities that fall into one of three categories: academic accomplishment, athletic experience, or leadership/community service/campus involvement.
“This is an exciting time every year as we look for ways to highlight the Division III experience,” said CUNYAC’s Taylor Polchinski. “We are happy the NCAA began this initiative just a couple of years ago and hope it continues to grow.”

The third annual Division III Week is set to kick off on Monday, April 7 and will continue through Sunday, April 13. The goal of the NCAA with this initiative is to promote extracurricular, athletic, and academic activities and share the collective effort of Division III institutions on a broad scale to improve Division III awareness.

The best and the brightest student-athletes in the Conference will get to connect with other student-athletes and students who share their same level of devotion to their sport. This week gives student athletes within the conference the time to add even greater depth to their personal stories.

This week is not entirely meant to laud the academic performances of various athletes, but to get colleges and universities to celebrate and discuss other aspects of the student-athlete experience.

Division III week also helps to bridge the gap between the athletes, their peers, faculty and administrators. Due to the important nature of this event, schools usually have to report their activities to the NCAA. The importance of this event signifies the need to foster community engagement amongst the NCAA as a whole.

This weeklong event also helps to shape the identity of the Division among its various conferences. Division unity among the entire conference is essential to the survival of the Division, schools and athletes overall.

A fixture in Madison-area schools since the 2001-2002 school year, the Bookin’ it with Bucky program has paired UW student-athletes with classrooms to work together to reach a predetermined reading goal.

This year, 25 classrooms in eight different schools are taking part in the program. Many student-athletes in the initiative want to work in education or further promote literacy.

Wisconsin women’s hockey player Madison Packer believes improving kids’ reading ability is an integral component of their mission as student-athletes.

“Promoting literacy in the community is important because it is a major part of our education and development as young adults,” Packer said. “Interacting with the young kids motivates them to want to learn and educate themselves more and will hopefully help them develop into more well-rounded individuals.”

Classrooms who reach their goal are rewarded with a party and a visit from UW student-athletes as well as Bucky Badger. The student-athletes do not receive anything in return for their visits but the satisfaction of helping the students accomplish their goals.

Being paired with a classroom throughout the year means the Badgers have the privilege of watching the reading skills of the students’ blossom and flourish over time.

“The Madison community is so supportive of Badger athletics, and giving back to young kids who look up to us is something I really enjoy,” Packer said.

For rower Jonathan Smaglick, being involved in the program is a natural fit. His mother was a kindergarten teacher in the Cudahy school district for 25 years.

“She was always asserting to me that being able to read for comprehension would allow me to follow my dreams,” Smaglick said. “I would like to pass on that idea to as many children as I can.”

In total, the initiative has reached more than 6,000 students in more than 250 classrooms throughout the Madison Metropolitan School District. This year, UW student-athletes have visited a record number of schools after only a few months.

But Bookin’ it with Bucky is just one part of the athletic department’s efforts to promote learning and encourage academic achievement. Promoting literacy is a primary focus of the Badgers Give Back program.

In addition to the Bookin’ it with Bucky initiative, student-athletes also make several visits to schools throughout the academic year to read with students and encourage literacy. Forty-five student-athletes also visited ten area schools in celebration of Read Across America Day on March 3, the second year that UW Athletics’ has made it an effort to visit as many schools as possible on the national reading holiday.

This year, Wisconsin Athletics’ commitment to education has extended to the UW Football Spring Game on Saturday, April 12, at Camp Randall Stadium. Proceeds from the game will benefit the UW School of Education’s continued efforts aimed at improving student literacy.

Tickets can be purchased for $5 online at UWBadgers.com, by calling 1-800-GO-BADGERS or in person at the Wisconsin Athletic Ticket Office. The game will be preceded by the annual Badgers Sports Kids’ Fair, which is a free event that starts at 1 p.m. in the McClain Center.

“We hope fans come out and show their support for the team and help us support a cause that we care about in the process,” senior nose guard Warren Herring said. “It’s something we’re all looking forward to.”

For more information on participating in the Bookin’ it with Bucky program, please contact UW Athletics Community Relations Assistant Michelle Preston at mpreston@athletics.wisc.edu.

Source: http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/give-back/spec-rel/040414aaa.html