Selden, N.Y. – The LIU Post baseball and softball teams joined forces Saturday, and participated in a community service game to benefit The Miracle League of Long Island in Selden, N.Y.

The Pioneers took part in three two-inning games in which the players buddied up with the children and helped them bat, run the bases and play the field.

The Miracle League of Long Island’s mission is to establish and sustain baseball programs for people (of all ages) with disabilities. Their objective is to provide an opportunity for those individuals to experience the joy and benefits that come from playing our national pastime.

For more information on The Miracle League of Long Island, please visit www.mllongisland.com.

Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.

Source: http://www.eccsports.org/sports/sball/2013-14/releases/100813_liup_miracleleague

Courtesy of: http://www.eccsports.org/

Central Islip, N.Y. – Beginning with last night’s volleyball contest at NYIT, the East Coast Conference and its member institutions will host over 20 games throughout October as part of its Pink and Fight Like a Volleyballer Lavender Week initiatives.

ECC Pink Week festivities will be hosted by each men’s and women’s soccer team in the conference. At the selected contests, $2 donations will be taken in lieu of admission being charged. ECC Pink Week t-shirts will also be sold for $10. All proceeds from each Pink Week game will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.

ECC volleyball teams will host the Fight Like a Volleyballer Lavender Week games. Lavender is the color of the general cancer awareness ribbon. As with ECC Pink Week, $2 donations will be collected at the door and t-shirts will be sold for $10 with all proceeds going to the Dana Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Institute.

In addition to gate donations and t-shirt sales, ECC member schools will also sell prize packs, ribbons, and host 50/50 raffles to collect for the respective charitable organizations associated with the Pink and Lavender weeks.

To see when your favorite ECC school is hosting one of these games, please check out the full schedule listed below.

ECC Pink Week Games
October 19
Molloy at Mercy
Queens at NYIT
LIU Post at STAC

October 20
Bridgeport at Daemen
Dowling at Roberts Wesleyan

October 23
NYIT at Molloy (men’s soccer)

October 26
NYIT at Bridgeport
Mercy at LIU Post
Dowling at Queens

October 30
NYIT at Dowling (men’s soccer)
Felician at Dowling (women’s soccer)
LIU Post at District of Columbia

November 2
Dowling at Molloy (women’s soccer)

ECC Fight Like a Volleyballer Lavender Week Games
October 15
Bridgeport at LIU Post

October 17
NYIT at Dowling

October 18
Mercy at Bridgeport

October 22
Queens at Mercy

October 24
Mercy at Molloy
Bridgeport at Queens

October 26
NYIT at Daemen
LIU Post at Roberts Wesleyan

Brookhaven, N.Y. – Make-A-Wish Suffolk County partnered with Dowling College Athletics and hosted a Walk For Wishes 5K Run/Walk this afternoon at Golden Lions Field on Dowling’s Brookhaven Campus.

Over 150 student athletes spent the day making a difference and volunteering at the event which involved more than 400 participants and raised over $30,000 for Make-A-Wish.

Craig Nelson, 17, from West Islip, N.Y. planned and organized this event with the hope to raise enough money to grant a child a wish of their own. At 10 years old, he was given the wish of a trip to Disney with his family before having to undergo serious brain surgeries. Now, as a completely healthy and fully recovered high school student, he is a member of the cross country and track teams at his high school, thinking about college and ways to give back to others.

This afternoon Nelson was given the opportunity to present Douglas Grimmett, a six year old boy with a life threatening illness, his wish of going to Disney World. With the help of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and the Fairy Godmother, Nelson along with Make-A-Wish Suffolk Chapter President and CEO Karine Hollander granted Douglas his wish alongside his parents and younger brother Benjamin.

When asked what the first thing he was going to do when he got to Disney Douglas said, ‘I’m going to see all the characters!” The Fairy Godmother then asked who his favorite character was and with a big smile on his face he answered, “I love them all!’

“It’s probably the greatest feeling I’ve ever felt in my life,” Nelson expressed. “It’s amazing to see little Douglas’ face and he is so happy to take his trip. It’s amazing.”

Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Vice President Kyle DeMeo said, ”This day means a lot. Make-A-Wish had done so many great things for so many people and being here for this life changing experience has been life changing for myself. It was truly amazing.”

Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. 

Since its inception in 1983, the Suffolk Chapter has granted over 2,000 wishes to local children. In the past year alone, they have granted 121 wishes.

Provided by the Dowling Sports Information Department.

Source: http://www.eccsports.org/information/community/2013-14/093013_dow_maw

Minnesota had 84.5 percent of its student body volunteer in 2012-13

Oct. 1, 2013

GIVING BACK
Written by Athletic Communications Assistant, Justine Buerkle

Gopher student-athletes are making a difference in the community through the Maroon and Gold Impacting the Community (MAGIC) program.

Between athletic and academic responsibilities, free time can be hard to come by for busy student-athletes. Yet 84.5 percent of Minnesota Golden Gophers spent at least some of their rare free time this past year volunteering through Maroon and Gold Impacting the Community.

Anissa Lightner, the assistant director of Student-Athlete affairs, said that MAGIC’s main goals are to help student-athletes give back and to allow community members to see beyond the maroon and gold uniforms and into the off-the-field side of the Gophers.

Continuing relationships play an important role in MAGIC’s success. Student-Athlete Affairs organized 242 events in the past year, and many of them are annual and/or parts of larger initiatives.
The Hope Day Festival, held for children with life-threatening illnesses, was the seventh annual. Four student-athletes were on the planning board for the event, and Lightner said it “just keeps getting bigger and better.” Additions to the 2013 event included increased student group involvement and a “game-and-ride” trailer that simulated the conditions and motions shown in video games as the kids played.

Create a Memory is another of the largest volunteer events involving Minnesota student-athletes. They serve as celebrities during a day of fun at Target Field with a group of 500 kids.

Camp Odayin is one of the longest events, as the volunteer group is gone for about 14 hours. The camp gives kids with heart disease a chance to be outdoors and have fun in a safe place where they can get emergency care if they need it.
A few campaigns with some of the greatest visibility are annual collection drives for Toys for Tots and Second Harvest. Student-athletes attend other Gopher teams’ sporting events to collect donations at entrances or in the concourses.

MAGIC also runs several ongoing educational campaigns. In the upcoming year, it will add anti-bullying and dental hygiene programs. MAGIC will also look to go more in-depth with its existing programs, including “Exercise Your Heart and Mind” and “Eat Smart Play Hard,” promoting healthy lifestyles and dedication in the classroom. Exercise Your Heart and Mind focuses on fostering girls’ interest in math and science.

MAGIC’s community partners will notice another new addition soon: a new MAGIC bus. The bus brings Gopher volunteers to and from many MAGIC events, and is decorated with photos of Gopher student-athletes who volunteer through the program. The program’s sponsor, St. Jude Medical Foundation, made the new bus possible.

Whether on the MAGIC bus or by their own transportation, Gopher student-athletes made it out into the community for 11,764.4 recorded volunteer hours from April 2012 to April 2013. Many of them were repeat volunteers, as 205 Gophers logged more than 10 hours, 101 more than 25 hours and 40 more than 50 hours during that time.

“When you don’t have a requirement for it, but we still gave around 12,000 hours back to the community, to me that’s just incredible,” Lightner said. “It really shows the passion that our student-athletes have.”

Source: http://www.gophersports.com/sports/student-affairs/spec-rel/100113aaa.html

Several Penn State student-athletes participated in the annual NLC Thank-A-Thon

Oct. 1, 2013

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. – On Saturday September 21, before the Kent State football game, nearly 60 student-athletes took part in the annual Thank-A-Thon sponsored by the Nittany Lion Club to thank the fans for their unwavering support of Penn State Athletics.

The Thank-A-Thon is responsible for bringing together student-athlete representatives from all Varsity sports on campus to show their appreciation to those who give back to Penn State Athletics. The athletes take to the parking lots surrounding Beaver Stadium to express their gratitude to the donors who help make their sport programs and scholarships possible.

Director of The Varsity `S’ Club, Clinton Eury (’05 Baseball), understands the importance of donor involvement and giving back to those who make it all possible.
“Without the support of our donors our programs wouldn’t be as effective,” said Eury. “As a former student athlete, it is truly remarkable to be on the otherside. I remember as a student-athlete how grateful I was for the support of donors. Without our Nittany Lion Club members, I wouldn’t have been provided with the opportunities that I had. This also speaks for today’s student-athletes.”

During the event, the athletes handed out hundreds of Penn State items including pens, stationary and One Team stickers. The student athletes engaged in conversation with those who make playing their sport possible, in turn receiving positive feedback from donors for their kind act.

Junior sprinter for the Women’s Track and Field team, Dynasty McGhee, was excited about the opportunity to the thank the fans for their unconditional support.
“There is so much pride wearing that Nittany Lion on your chest,” said McGhee. “The fans contribute to that.”

Both the Nittany Lion Club and Varsity `S’ Club sponsor several events throughout the year, and contribute to preserving the traditions of being a Penn State Athlete, long after the uniforms are turned in.
Freshman Emma Sibson, a member of the Women’s Gymnastics Team put it best.

“Without the fans, we wouldn’t be able to do what we love.”

Source: http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/c-lionclub/spec-rel/100113aaa.html