Nyack, N.Y. – The Mercy College women’s basketball team spent time on Friday reading to preschool-aged and younger students at the Head Start of Rockland in Nyack, N.Y.

The Mavericks split up to read stories to nearly 140 students between seven classrooms in what will be an ongoing relationship between the team and school.

Head Start of Rockland is a leading provider of comprehensive and nationally accredited preschool and early childhood education and preschool special education services for low income children and their families in Rockland County. Head Start of Rockland’s mission is to provide high quality early childhood

education, health, nutrition and family services to low income children and families in Rockland County, while being responsive and sensitive to a variety of cultures, traditions and practices. We help children and their families reach their optimal potential.

Provided by the Mercy Sports Information Department.

LOCUST VALLEY, N.Y. (Jan. 23, 2014) – This past Sunday, Jan. 19, the Molloy College cheerleading team visited the “Volunteers for Wildlife” at Bailey Arboretum in Locust Valley, Long Island. The team became a sponsor of a wild animal that has to be kept at the arboretum for its entire life due to permanent disabilities.

Head Coach Caitlin Donach and the student-athletes donated $100 to adopt “Baby,” a red-tailed hawk. All the money goes directly to feeding and housing the animal.

“The reason we did this was to raise awareness for the wildlife that Long Island has,” said Donach. “Red-tailed hawks are actually native to Long Island. I believe it’s important to learn about and respect the wildlife here. It is part of our history and its imperative to be aware of these animals for their safety and ours.”

Red-tailed hawks are not the only animals at Bailey Arboretum. It houses many other species from possums and squirrels to ducks and owls. Each animal in the arboretum’s care and facility is native to Long Island.

To learn more about “Volunteers for Wildlife,” please visit the official website here.

To learn more about the Bailey Arboretum, please visit the official website here.

VW’s Mission Statement:
Volunteers For Wildlife is a non-profit wildlife hospital and education center founded in 1982, located in Locust Valley, New York. We are a volunteer based organization dedicated to preserving Long Island, New York’s wildlife and natural habitats. Volunteers for Wildlife accepts and rehabilitates sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. We strive to educate the public about Long Island’s wildlife through education programs with schools, scout troops, senior centers and others.
If you have found an injured or orphaned animal, please call the Wildlife Advisory Telephone at (516) 674-0982 or e-mail: wildlifeadvisory@gmail.com. After 5:00 pm, e-mail is the best way to reach them.

Members of the men’s and women’s gymnastics teams volunteered their time at Feed my Starving Children in Coon Rapids over winter break.

Feed my Starving Children, a non-profit organization fighting world hunger, has distributed food to hungry and malnourished people in more than 70 countries through missionary partnerships with schools, orphanages, clinics and refugee camps.

More than 30 members from the gymnastics teams managed to pack 100 boxes of food on Wednesday, January 9th. The boxes contained nearly 21,600 meals, enough to feed 59 children for an entire year.

“This event in particular was something special,” said junior Steven Jaciuk. “With everyone’s help we are able to help eliminate the potential threat of world hunger. Not to mentioned, both of our teams had an absolute blast while doing so.”

This community service initiative is one of over 200 volunteer events attended by University of Minnesota student-athletes each year.

“Volunteering really reminds us of how blessed we are. Knowing we made a big difference through a simple hour of volunteering is extremely rewarding.” Cierra Tomson

Both the women’s track and field team and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee also recently packed food at Feed my Starving Children.

Story written by Andrew Doughty
Student Athlete Development Intern

Source: http://www.gophersports.com/sports/student-affairs/spec-rel/011714aaa.html

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – An SIUE Athletics Department mentoring program, now in its third year, continues to pay dividends not only for local middle schools but also SIUE student-athletes.

Each month, SIUE student-athletes engage in mentoring conversations with students from Edwardsville Liberty and Lincoln Middle Schools. The goal of the community service initiative is to open a dialogue on relevant topics to young teenagers such as bullying, stress, exercise, self-esteem, and drugs and alcohol while participating in interactive games and activities on SIUE’s campus.

“SIUE is a great resource for our students at Liberty and Lincoln,” said Mark Tschudy, a prevention counselor at Lincoln Middle School. “Building a relationship with the athletes not only is something the students look forward to but also is a great way to introduce our students to positive role models.”

The mentoring program seeks to provide positive role models for area youth, to give back to the community, to form a lasting bond, and to present ideals in sync with the University’s values of citizenship, excellence, inclusion, integrity, and wisdom.

“Our golfers had a great time playing pool and ping pong with the kids,” said SIUE Director of Golf Coach Derrick Brown. “We feel that this program provides a positive influence for the kids in the after school program. It is an event we always look forward to.”

The men’s golf, women’s golf, and wrestling teams participated in the most recent January event. SIUE student-athletes and coaches from all of SIUE’s 18 sports also have committed to mentoring dates in February through April.

“This program introduces our students to an age group they may not typically associate with,” Tschudy said. “Wednesday’s activity helped our students become more familiar with college-aged students and showcased the leadership skills of the athletes.”

For more information about the program, contact the SIUE Athletics Department at 618-650-2871.

Source: http://www.siuecougars.com/sports/genrel/2013-14/mentorsiue14

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University athletic department was honored — twice — for its volunteer efforts during the 2012-2013 academic school year.

SMU earned honorable-mention honors in both the One-Time Project and An Array of Projects categories as part of the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA)/Jostens Community Service Awards.

The awards program is co-sponsored by the NADIIIAA and Jostens and is intended to recognize the many contributions Division III student-athletes regularly make to their campuses and local communities. Recognition is given for projects in three categories: One-Time Projects, An Array of Projects, and Ongoing Projects.

“As always, I am extremely proud of our student-athletes — they embody the Lasallian spirit of service and leadership, and truly give of themselves in numerous ways,” said SMU athletic director Nikki Fennern. “We are privileged to use the gifts we have to serve others and gain valuable learning opportunities in the process.

“To commit to the significant hours of service — given the tremendous time constraints and busy lives of student-athletes — shows the well-rounded experience of our students of the true spirit Division III athletics.”

In the Array of Projects category, SMU student-athletes donated over 3,000 hours of time to a variety of projects including, but not limited to — painting buildings, working with Winona area youth, Special Olympics young athletes program, Spruce Up Winona and Make a Difference Day, to name a few, while the Strong Is The New Beautiful 5K — in which over 600 people came out to support SMU senior volleyball player Sabrina Bushlack by participating in the 5K Run/Walk on the SMU campus — earned SMU honorable-mention in the One-Time Project category.

This year’s overall winners were: Stevens Institute of Technology (One-Time Projects), SUNY College at Oswego (An Array of Projects), and SUNY College at Oswego (Ongoing Projects).

Other schools honored included Saint Mary’s, Salem State University, Albion College, UW-La Crosse, Wentworth Institute, and Johnson & Wales University, Wheaton College (MA), Alvernia University, Arcadia University, Springfield College, Otterbein University, Haverford College, Western New England University, and the University of Southern Maine.

Source: http://www.saintmaryssports.com/news/2014/1/21/GEN_0121143202.aspx