The Lady Firebird Girl’s Cross Country team, after volunteering at Long Island’s annual “Race Against Poverty Aquathon” on Sept. 17th, once again gave back to the community. The team came en masse to help with the annual “Diva Half Marathon” race packet distribution on Friday, Sept. 29th. While their volunteerism is cherished by the thousands of LI runners, Captain Julia Bryant echoed the team’s generous heart. “We were happy to give our energy, and it also always works as a team bonding event.” The team was scheduled to leave school the next morning at 5:30 am to compete in an important race in New Jersey.

 

http://www.kellenberg.org/girls-cross-country-serves-the-running-community/

Article by Isy Odiaka ’19:

On Sunday morning, your Lady Firebirds were not on the tennis courts. Both Kellenberg Varsity Tennis Teams were at Jones Beach to participate in the Autism Speaks Walk. The Autism Speaks Walk is powered by the love of parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, relatives and supportive providers for people with autism.

Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder, is a disorder that refers to a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills and non-verbal communications. A person with autism has unique strengths and differences. The Autism Speaks is an organization that was founded in 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright (the grandparents of a child with autism).

The Autism Speaks Walk has many locations and different dates. The one on Long Island takes place at Jones Beach and is usually around early October and registration starts at 8:30 AM. The walk itself doesn’t start until 9:45-10:00 AM. Along the walk, there were many sponsors helping out and providing water like Geico, Achievement Behavior Society, and others. The 5K walk is held annually so the team hopes to see you there next year!

http://www.kellenberg.org/girls-tennis-helps-raise-over-1000-for-autism-speaks-walk/

On Sunday, October 22nd, Kellenberg Memorial’s Boys Junior Varsity A and B Soccer teams, and the Girls Varsity Soccer teams took part in Kicking for a Cure. Kicking for the Cure was started in 2008, to raise money for cancer research in Honor of Gus Sellitto, who was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer known as Angiosarcoma. Sarcoma is a type of cancer that develops from certain tissues, like bone or muscle. They can be found in any part of the body. The Sellitto Family encouraged also Honoring Emil Pusateri, who was a beloved coach in the RVC Soccer Club, who passed away last year.

Emil Pusateri was diagnosed with Myeloma. Myeloma is a cancer of certain white blood cells called plasma cells. The cancerous plasma cells build up in the bone marrow. While scientists have made progress in understanding how certain changes in the DNA cause cancerous cells to develop, further research is needed to develop additional novel therapies, to learn how to best use them in combination, and to better understand how genomics (a patient’s DNA) can be used to personalize therapy.

A Combination of 50 coaches, athletes and family members helped raise $1000 to fight the cause by playing bubble soccer against one another. Photos of the event will be featured in the upcoming edition of the Rockville Centre Patch.

Story and Photos Courtesy of Kellenberg Memorial High School

http://www.kellenberg.org/soccer-teams-show-service-over-self-at-kicking-for-a-cure-event/

Hempstead, N.Y. – The Adelphi University men’s lacrosse program traded in their sticks for gardening tools on Friday afternoon as they paired up with an organization called Garden Vines.

The team split into two groups and visited Barak Obama Elementary School and Jackson Elementary School, where they spent a few hours preparing the grounds and helping maintain and harvest the produce from the school gardens.

The connection between the men’s lacrosse program and the organization started when a representative from the organization came and spoke to the Adelphi Student Athlete Advisory Committee earlier in the school year.

Garden Vines is a not-for-profit collaborative between Reigning in Life Training Center (a faith-based, not-for-profit organization in the Village of Hempstead) and Cynthia Proscia, Registered Dietitian and Clinical Professor at Adelphi University. Its mission is to cultivate and maintain healthy communities by creating or expanding food-bearing gardens that will bridge cultural, socioeconomic and generational gaps. The gardens provide environments that facilitate authentic learning experiences for multi-generational community members to become lifelong learners.

“I cannot wait to see how beneficial these gardens are to the elementary school students in Hempstead,” commented junior Michael Papach. “I urge everyone to help out with Garden Vines any way that they can. Just a small donation or a few hours of your time can make a huge difference in the community.”

 

http://aupanthers.com/news/2017/11/6/mens-lacrosse-finds-green-thumb-with-garden-vines.aspx

Ninth-graders in the Massapequa School District are doing their part to help the hungry. The National Junior Honor Society at Massapequa High School’s Ames Campus, under the direction of advisers Michelle Gross and Erik Lassen, recently completed a successful holiday food drive.

In three weeks, students filled dozens of boxes and bags with nonperishable food items such as pasta, canned vegetables, soups, cake mixes and more. The items were donated to Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Massapequa to help people through Thanksgiving and the holiday season.

“This is very important because there are many people who go hungry, and it’s crucial to have proper nutrition to stay healthy and live a happy life,” said ninth-grader Laura Foren. “It’s important for students to start helping the community at an early age to get into the habit and continue that as adults.”

Principal Jordan McCaw added that Massapequa is a very giving community, and the success of this food drive shows the power of collaboration and teamwork.

“We are very proud of our students for their selflessness and advocacy for those in need,” he said.

 

Photo caption: Members of the Ames Campus National Junior Honor Society, along with Principal Jordan McCaw, left, and physical education teacher Erik Lassen, showed some of the items that were donated during a recent food drive.

 

Photo courtesy of Massapequa School District