CINCINNATI – Xavier student-athletes spent time on Friday volunteering at their adopted school, The Academy of World Languages (AWL). This year Xavier University’s student-athletes have adopted three third-grade classrooms and a special-needs classroom at AWL. The student-athletes are involved in activities such as a pen pal program, subject tutoring and mentoring.

Nearly every team was represented at AWL this past week as the student-athletes led a new year’s event for their adoptees. The student-athletes taught their adoptees about Xavier and the college experience, played bingo and provided the students with some fun gifts.

Xavier’s newly elected Student Athlete Advisory Committee President, Matt Stainbrook, made time to volunteer at AWL before his flight to Providence on Friday.

“It is always a blast for me when I get a chance to meet people in the community and have fun with other student-athletes,” Stainbrook commented. “Our adopted students are at an age where they look up to us to shape how they make decisions. I always try to remember this and be a positive example for them.”

Source: http://www.goxavier.com/genrel/013014aaa.html

FREEPORT, N.Y. (Jan. 30, 2014) – LIU Post men’s lacrosse senior midfielder Brandon Bertone (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) recently worked with the non-for-profit organization “Friends of Freeport” in rebuilding two homes that were affected by Hurricane Sandy last fall.

Bertone spent nearly an entire day tearing down and cleaning up the interior of houses, while ripping out and installing sheetrock.

“The work we did was very beneficial to the homeowners we helped,” Bertone said. “I am glad I was able to work with the people involved. They all had positive attitudes, a great work ethic, and were very caring for others. As soon as I arrived, they treated me as one of their own…It is good to see people in this world that are willing to go out of their own way to make others happy.”

Friends of Freeport includes individuals who have close ties to the Incorporated Village of Freeport. It is committed to getting people back in their homes, and to help them continue their lives after the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy.

For more information on Friends of Freeport, please visit www.friendsoffreeportny.org.

Worcester, Mass. – On Monday, January 20 the Clark University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) held the first-ever No-Sew Blanket Drive at the Kneller Athletic Center.

Inspired by a session at the recent NCAA Division III Leadership Conference, members of nearly all athletic programs at Clark gathered to create blankets that were donated to the Abby House, a non-profit women’s advocacy organization that has an emergency shelter, offers affordable housing and a place for women and children to stay, regroup and rebuild.

“Community service is something that many student-athletes and teams participate in,” said SAAC President and men’s swimming and diving captain Josh Kent. “Being able to join together as an athletic community with an event like the No-Sew Blanket Drive gives student-athletes an opportunity to give back to Worcester community in a meaningful way.”

In all the student-athletes made 74 blankets – 50 of them going to Abby’s House and the remaining 24 went to Friendly House, a not for profit organization that strives to promote neighborhood health and welfare for the betterment of Worcester and to further the interests of Worcester’s immigrants – introducing them to customs and traditions of their new home and helping them to become an integral part of civic life.

Source: http://www.clarkathletics.com/News/2013-14/No_Sew_Blanket_Event/NoSewRelease

Student-athletes at Monmouth College watched with a sense of pride Tuesday night when the Monmouth-area Special Olympians took to the court at Glennie Gymnasium during halftime of the Monmouth-Grinnell game.

For the sixth consecutive year, the Monmouth College Student-Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) sponsored a special practice for the Special Olympians. More than 25 student athletes representing nearly all 22 varsity sports at the college were present Sunday to run the Special Olympians through a variety of skills and drills to help improve their game. The Tuesday scrimmage was the culmination of nearly 90 minutes of work with more than 20 Special Olympians.

Sophomore business majors Joe Ward of Cherry Valley, Ill., and Hannah Long from Newton, Iowa, took different routes to becoming involved in the event.

“We did something similar to this at my high school,” explained Ward, who serves as the track team’s SAAC representative. “Being involved in SAAC is a continuation of what I did in high school. My mother is a nurse and works with special needs kids all the time. Working with those who have special needs is kind of second nature to me. I guess you could say I’m carrying on the family tradition.”

It was a completely new experience for Long, a member of the golf and swim teams at Monmouth.

“I had never been around special needs kids before,” admitted Long. “I think I got more out of it than they did. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was a real joy to see the smiles on their faces. It was definitely an enlightening afternoon for me.”

The event has become a tradition for SAAC as well as the entire community, bringing the Monmouth and campus communities together to celebrate the accomplishments of the Special Olympians.

Source: http://monmouthscots.com/news/2014/1/27/BB_0127144135.aspx

Right fielder named Community Outreach Athlete of the Month for leading the Trojans’ most active team of volunteers.

Donning his gold jersey with a cardinal “14” on the back, USC’s sophomore right fielder hands a plate of food to a Navy veteran in a wheel chair. The man makes a joke about not having the funds to tip his waiter, and the athlete laughs, pats him on the back, and returns to the kitchen for another plate.

The West Los Angeles Veterans Hospital, where Vahn Bozoian and his teammates visited patients in December, sits so close to the home field of a certain school in Westwood, California that it could almost be hit by a long home run. But despite the rivalry, USC’s team made their annual appearance at the VA holiday celebration, wearing “Trojans” proudly on their chest.

This type of community visit is nothing new for Bozoian. During the fall semester, he logged 15 hours of community service through five different projects which brought his team and the Trojan colors all over Los Angeles.

Entering his second year as a student and athlete at USC, Bozoian has become a team leader already, both on and off the diamond. Last semester he helped spearhead several projects, leading to an astounding 507 hours served by the baseball team in only three months. Thanks to Bozoian and his dedicated teammates, the group has become the most active participants in the USC Athletics Community Outreach Program with near perfect attendance at five of the major outreach events and an average of 12 hours per athlete.

“These events are a great opportunity to be able to give back with the team,” said Bozoian, whose personality and leadership transfer into a clubhouse presence. Last season as a true freshman, Bozoian appeared in 33 games, making 27 starts. He finished with a .224 batting average, belting 11 RBIs and 2 home runs.

Well before their December visit to the VA, Bozoian and his team jumpstarted their semester of outstanding service by attending the 2nd Annual Rose Cup Tournament benefiting breast cancer. In October, they hosted a game booth at a local Halloween carnival which provided community children a safe trick-or-treat environment. The team closed out the fall by painting murals and planting gardens at 32nd Street Elementary School. Perhaps most notably, this semester the men of Trojan baseball have dedicated their time to maintaining an ongoing SCORE partnership with the Best Buddies organization for kids with mental disabilities.

When asked about what he gained from serving the veterans last December, Bozoian continued to deflect attention from himself. “Being a good sport and an all-around good person is something that these veterans show us how to do, both on and off the field,” said Bozoian.

When reviewing the fall semester of USC Baseball, it becomes clear why their right fielder chuckled at a joke about receiving a tip for his service. This group of men does not volunteer for money or recognition, but rather to embody the ideals sewn into that bright gold jersey.

Source: http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/comm-outreach/spec-rel/010714aab.html