BAY SHORE, N.Y. (Feb. 10, 2014) – Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center, Inc. (ADRC) will host its first annual “Give from the Heart” Athletes for Alzheimer’s Endurance Event to raise funds to support those who struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease and their unpaid caregivers. The event will take place on February 16 at Steel Fitness Gym, located at 2742 Grand Avenue in Bellmore, N.Y. from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Individuals and teams will participate in a daylong contest to determine who can perform the most sit-ups or pushups in a given period of time. Molloy College, Kellenberg High School, Nancy Burner & Associates and Dear Little Dollies have now registered for the event.

Volunteer coaches and Steel Fitness trainers will watch all participants to make sure they are done correctly and that the count is accurate. Awards will be presented to those who complete the most sit-ups or pushups and for those who raise the most funds. All of the money raised will go to benefit ADRC.

In the U.S., approximately 5.4 million people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and that number is only expected to increase. There are 77 million baby boomers in this country and 1 in 8 is at risk for getting this heartbreaking disease. As the number of people with the disease grows, there will be an increasing need for caregivers as well-who will need more support from local organizations and community groups. “Give from the Heart” is aimed to assist both caregivers and those who are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease alike.

“Give from the Heart” is being held in memory of Dorothy C. Camilleri, the late owner of Dear Little Dollies on Bedford Avenue in Bellmore. She passed away last year at the age of 87 after battling Alzheimer’s Disease. Ms. Camilleri’s daughter, Marijane, who was also her caregiver, decided to lead the event in her mother’s memory.

“We cannot thank Marijane, the ADRC staff, and the volunteers enough for organizing this innovative, athletic fundraising event,” says Mary Ann Malack-Ragona, Executive Director/CEO, Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center, Inc. “We hope to engage a younger age group with this fundraising event, with the intent to help them realize the importance of eradicating this devastating disease that affects so many people.”

To make a donation and to help this great cause, please click this link.

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Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center, Inc. – which is headquartered in Bay Shore and has a satellite office in Southampton – is the only local Alzheimer’s Disease advocacy and educational facility whose mission is to provide hands-on support and services to families on Long Island and the New York metropolitan area. ADRC works with family members, health care professionals and researchers to ensure quality health care and support to those impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease through care and consultation, information and referral, training, support groups, and caregiver safety products.

Please click here for ADRC’s official website.

ANN ARBOR — The National Association of Basketball Coaches has recognized Michigan graduate student Jordan Morgan as one of 10 college basketball players improving their communities and the lives of others.

Morgan was named Tuesday to the Allstate NABC Good Works Team, the organizations community service honor. The Detroit native was among 117 nominees submitted and then voted on by a panel comprised of former coaches, student-athletes and media members. The team is comprised of 10 student-athletes; five from the NCAA Division I and five from NCAA Divisions II, III and the NAIA.

The award will earn Morgan a second straight trip to the Final Four. Members of the Good Works Team will be invited to the 2014 NABC Convention at the Final Four in North Texas, where they will participate in a community service project.

Among Morgan’s previous points of community service: working with Mott’s “From the Heart” Program; speaking for Wines Elementary Run-a-thon on the importance of fitness; visiting Joshua’s Lemonade stand in Detroit; working clinics for high school students and coaches in Ivory Coast; visiting an orphanage in Ivory Coast; spoking at Brighton Community Bible Church youth group on faith; speakking at Huron Hills Church on faith in sports and life.

Morgan is currently working with Big Brothers Big Sisters to promote education and Meals on Wheels delivering lunches to the community.

Morgan earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering from U-M’s College of Engineering in April 2012, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in manufacturing engineering.

A tri-captain for the 2013-14 Wolverines, Morgan is averaging 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in his final season in Ann Arbor. Michigan is 17-6 overall and in a first-place tie in the Big Ten with Michigan State at 9-2 in league play.

U-M faces Ohio State (19-5, 6-5) on Tuesday night at Value City Arena (9 p.m., TV: ESPN).

Source: http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2014/02/michigans_jordan_morgan_recogn.html

Brendan F. Quinn covers University of Michigan basketball. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on Wolverines hoops. He can be contacted at bquinn@mlive.com

EL PASO, TX — UTEP collected more than 27,000 pounds of food during the “Let’s SAAC Hunger” program, the Conference USA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s conference-wide community service initiative. The Miners won the 2013 C-USA “Let’s SAAC Hunger” title
by collecting the most food by weight.

Each C-USA school worked within their respective communities to conduct a campus-wide canned food drive for one week during the fall semester. This year, C-USA also partnered with YouGiveGoods, a for-profit company that facilitates online food drives. This partnership allowed C-USA student-athletes to reach a much larger audience. All student groups and alumni were encouraged to participate. Each institution selected a local food bank to receive their donations. UTEP’s contributions went to El Pasoans Fighting Hunger.

“We are grateful for the chance to be community leaders and service those in need,” said Mandy Pulido, UTEP Athletics SAAC Advisor. “The SAAC hunger food drive is a great way to promote school spirit and unity within C-USA.”

More than 44 tons of food totaling a C-USA “Let’s SAAC Hunger” record 88,581.90 pounds, which equates to nearly 75,000 meals, was collected conference-wide. Ten C-USA schools collected more than 2,000 pounds of food donations during their drive week, while UTSA and Tulane collected more than seven tons of food.

UTSA collected 20,792 pounds of food for the San Antonio Food Bank, while Tulane gathered 14,238 pounds for Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans. East Carolina had the best online participation, with 794 pounds of food added to its collection of 3,400 pounds during the food drive for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

Other donations across Conference USA benefitted Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Boca Helping Hands, Miami Rescue Mission Inc., Northwest Louisiana Food Bank, Marshall University Food Pantry, Middle Tennessee Student Food Pantry, Shepherd’s Hand Food Bank, Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, Houston Food Bank, Edwards Street Mission and Christian Services, Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.

The C-USA SAAC was formed in 1998. Its committee consists of 32 representatives (two from each institution) with one member serving as chair and one member as vice chair. The committee meets five times a year, including one in-person meeting.

The Darton State College Lady Cavaliers soccer team will team up with Mission Change on Saturday morning in volunteer efforts to serve the Albany community.

These student-athletes will prepare, package and deliver lunches to senior citizens. They’ll also give flowers and notes of encouragement.

“We’re happy to help,” Darton State head women’s soccer coach Ken Veilands said. “It’s a great experience for the team, and everyone benefits from programs such as these.”

Mission change serves Albany’s elderly, underserved youth, the homeless and those on the brink of homelessness, and volunteers play a vital role in the program’s success, said La Donna Urick, Mission Change executive director.

Often, just giving hope and showing compassion to those in need make a huge difference, she said.

“You begin to understand hardships and other situations that people go through on a daily basis when those relationships you build turn into lifelong friendships,” Urick said. “We love our volunteers. We would not be here if it weren’t for our volunteers!”

Source: http://www.walb.com/story/24662939/darton-soccer-players-help-the-community

Center Valley, PA (February 10, 2014) – The DeSales University SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) has been collecting information and updates from each varsity athletics team on campus and has complied a brief description and update on what some of the teams have done thus far during the 2013-14 school year.

Volleyball
#DSUVB volunteered at the the Lehigh Valley Zoo’s “Boo at the Zoo” during the Halloween holiday. The team handed out candy to children from the area who visited the zoo on the designated day. Each player volunteered for about four hours and had a great time interacting with all of the children in their costumes.

Baseball
#DSUBB has been doing montly trips to the Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital with each visit consisting of three or four players. These players spend time with the children playing in the hopital play room and visiting with the children who aren’t able to leave their bed.

#DSUBB also held their annual Miracle League event in January in which the entire baseball team gives the kids some basic instruction including playing catch with each of the children. The entire team then assists all of the players in a short game inside on the recreation courts. The Miracle League of Lehigh County is an organization which sets up baseball games for special needs children.

Women’s Basketball
#DSUWBB has participated in several community service events this year including volunteering their time to walk in PACE’s annual “Walk a Mile” event. “Walk a Mile” is a national movement that serves to raise awareness for and eventually put an end to domestic and sexual abuse. The event began with a presentation by DSU PACErs and also featured representatives from Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley, SAFENurses, and the Lehigh Valley Crime Victims Council.

#DSUWBB also volunteered at the “Making Strides of Lehigh Valley” event. The 3.1 mile walk was held in downtown Bethlehem on Saturday, October 26th. The team enjored the pre-walk festivities such as face-painting and Zumba and then made their way to the two mile marker where they cheered on the walk participants. There was plenty of enjoyment at this event and are looking foward to volunteering again next year.

Men’s and Women’s Basketball
Both DSUWBB and DSUMBB volunteered on what has become an annual trip to the Lehigh Valley Academy in conjunction with the Cops-N-Kids Program. During the fall semester, the teams collected almost 600 books that were donated to the children at LVA. During the visit, the student-athletes read stories to the students, helped them create bookmarks, and autographed their books and bookmarks. Both teams always have a tremendous amount of fun and enjoy their visit with the children at LVA every year.

Field Hockey
During the fall semester the #DSUFH team volunteered on several Saturday’s with the Miracle League of Northampton County. The first night of pre-season practice, the team went to Palmer Community Center to participate the first time in which they were each paired with buddies that they played two innings of baseball with. The team was paired with the Dodgers, a team with kids ages 5-17 with various physical or developmental handicaps. The team created a terrific connection with their buddies and have been back three more times since the initial visit. The entire team hopes to make a few more visits in the spring once the seasons re-starts.