11-year-old Joe Butler vividly remembers the scene of wrestlers sharing wrestling shoes at a national-level tournament last spring.

“I remember seeing the wrestlers sharing shoes and wondered, ‘Why are they doing that?’ ” Butler said. “I thought about what I could do to help. I asked my father why they didn’t have their own shoes, he gave me the reason why and I asked him if we could start a company to help donate shoes for them.”

Butler’s ambition led to the formation of Wrestle In My Shoes, a non-profit organization which donates wrestling shoes to wrestlers who cannot afford them.

Since starting Wrestle In My Shoes one year ago, Butler’s company has donated over 700 pairs of shoes, equivalent to $40,000 of merchandise.

Any wrestler can donate shoes and Wrestle In My Shoes will cover the cost of shipping to New Jersey and shipping back out to the shoes’ recepients.

“We’ve had an overwhelming amount of support for what we’ve been trying to do,” Joe’s father Joe said. “Joe Pollard at Rutgers was a huge help for us. He was one of our initial donors. He helped us get about 20 pairs of wrestling shoes to donate. Not from the school, but from the kids’ collections. I sometimes wonder how many district, region and state medals had been won in those shoes.”

“Also Gary Mezzacapo of Iron Horse. He came and dropped off 40 singlets and 40 pairs of shoes at my doorstep without being asked or anything.”

Most of the shoes, Mr. Butler said, end up in the midwest.

“We’ve dealt a lot with charter school systems,” Mr. Butler said. “We’ve done a lot with schools out in the midwest. The shoes are going out to Clevland and Cincinatti, Ohio. We’ve done a lot in Minneapolis as well.”

“We actually were able to ship a pair of shoes out to the midwest, this poor kid lives with his grandmother. His father is in jail for murdering his mother. He was a two-time state champion and had been wearing the same shoes he had worn since eighth grade. We were able to send some shoes out to him.”

Source: http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/1012734779542646690/wrestling-11-year-old-freehold-wrestler-helps-donate-over-40000-in-wrestling-shoes/

MTSU athletes continuously give their time and talents back to the Rutherford County community.

Just recently, the MTSU football and tennis teams took part in the Special Kids’ Camp Ability.

“It’s the highlight of the year for us,” noted Blue Raider quarterback Brent Stockstill.

What many people don’t realize is just about every MTSU student-athlete at some point in the year is active in community service. They donate many hours to help those less fortunate.

MTSU athletes read to elementary students, they help with Special Kids and First Shot Basketball, Special Olympics and many other activities and events.

What’s striking is probably 95 percent or more aren’t even from Rutherford County. They come from other communities in the state and many other states and countries.

Yet, here they are continuously giving back. In fact, most of these athletes who aren’t from Rutherford County probably donate more time than most of the people who live in this community.

The Blue Raiders will put an exciting brand of football on the field next season, the men’s and women’s basketball teams play a great schedule and have enjoyed outstanding success. MTSU’s track team is a a top 25 program.

Granted, attendance at basketball games is solid, but it could still be better.

Football? Well, MTSU still has a long way to go.

If you want to see one of the best quarterbacks and receivers in the country, go watch Stockstill and Richie James, who was a freshman All-American and is a preseason All-American.

There are so many athletes at MTSU with unbelievable gifts and talents, and they use them any many ways — on the field and off.

Perhaps it’s time the Rutherford County community started giving back to the athletes. As I noted, most do more outside of athletics than most Rutherford Countians.

A good for our community to give back would be on Sept. 2 when the Blue Raider football team hosts Vanderbilt in its season opener.

We’re are fortunate to have our athletes involved in our community, and it’s time we show our appreciation.

Source: http://www.murfreesboropost.com/its-time-for-community-to-give-back-to-mtsu-athletes-cms-47139

How many undergraduates can say they spent their summer helping to save lives? That’s exactly what University of Memphis women’s soccer player Sessen Stevens did earlier this summer when she volunteered with the International Children’s Heart Foundation (ICHF).

The ICHF is a non-profit organization based out of Memphis that enables children from all over the world to have free heart surgeries. The foundation specifically focuses on congenital heart disease in children with the hopes of permanently ending the disease.

In May, Stevens traveled to the Dominican Republic for a two-week medical mission. She joined volunteers from all over the world to work together with local hospital staff to teach and improve the medical environment. In addition to the Dominican Republic, the ICHF also organizes trips to Libya, Croatia, Ukraine, Iraq and other developing countries.

“I had no idea what to expect going into the trip, but almost immediately I was blown away by the environment,” said Stevens. “It was fascinating to see the interactions between the ICHF staff and the local nurses and doctors, all working to save the lives of the children with heart conditions. The patience that the volunteers had when teaching the locals was admirable, and by the end of the two weeks, the local staff had begun to do more and more of what they had been taught.”

As an undergraduate student, she left with a far greater understanding of procedures, defects, anatomy, and different components of surgery. She was also given the unique experience of seeing a beating heart, something that can only be experienced in a real medical environment.

Stevens learned about the many heart defects that were being operated on in the Dominican Republic, the most common of which was repairing a hole between the right and left ventricles or atriums of the heart, known as septum defect. Without these surgeries, many of the children are unable to play sports or go to school.

“As a rising senior with a Biology and Chemistry major, I knew I was lacking the medical experience to aid in the surgeries or in the ICU; however, being able to help in the logistics and behind the scenes of it all increased my awareness and appreciation for organizations like these. All the volunteers take time off from their paid work schedules in order to help children who, without the team, would never have had the opportunity for a surgery,” said Stevens.

Supplies, volunteers, and trips are provided through donations in order to give hospitals the care they need. ICHF has been in operation for 23 years and has gifted almost 8,000 children heart surgeries, or approximately 350 free surgeries a year for the past 23 years.

“One of the most impactful parts of the trip for me was when I interviewed the kids and their parents before and after surgery. It was clear how life-changing the operations were for the children and how much of an impact it would have on their future. Seeing them overcome the challenges post-op, watching the parents and nurses celebrate each step with them, then watching their smiling faces leave with their families after they recovered are definitely things I will always remember.

“I am so grateful for the opportunity that was provided and the ability to go on the trip as an undergrad student. The trip not only solidified my desire to work overseas in medicine in the future, but also allowed me to see all the different aspects that go into medical missions.”

The moment that University of Memphis student-athletes step on campus, they are encouraged to begin thinking about their interests and skills and build on those qualities to guide them through the following years. Stevens’ medical mission is an example of the types of opportunities that Memphis can provide to its student-athletes.

“The great thing about Memphis is there are so many different organizations and places to get involved around the city. As student-athletes it can be tough to find time to volunteer, but the impact that an hour or two can make not only changes your perspective, but encourages others as well.”

Source: http://www.gotigersgo.com/news/2017/6/27/womens-soccer-sessen-stevens-volunteers-for-life-saving-foundation-in-dominican-republic.aspx

Stonehill College’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee was recognized at the Northeast-10 Conference’s annual awards banquet, held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough recently, for its fundraising efforts towards the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Stonehill SAAC led the NE10’s fundraising efforts by bringing in $6,600 to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which is the primary charity for NCAA Division II. SAAC held its first Rock-a-Thon, which raised over $6,000, as well as its annual “Into the Bleachers” campaign throughout the academic year, bringing in a total of $6,600 for the year.

The Rock-a-Thon involved six purple rocking chairs and they were constantly in motion on April 28 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Members of the Stonehill community, including various departments and athletic teams split time slots throughout the day with the hopes of hosting a Make-A-Wish reveal on campus during the upcoming academic year. The Rock-a-Thon also attracted the efforts of Auburn Middle School, which raised $800 towards the total by selling Easter Egg-Grams.

Stonehill SAAC was led in 2016-17 by chairperson Tommy Farrell (Toms River, New Jersey/Donovan Catholic), from the football team, vice chairperson Joe Santo (Newburyport, Massachusetts/Newburyport), from the cross country and track & field programs, and advisor Cindy MacDonald, the College’s senior associate director of intercollegiate athletics.

Source: http://www.stonehillskyhawks.com/general/2016-17/releases/20170627l0n87z

Members of Floral Park Memorial High School’s National Junior Honor Society, led by adviser Ms. Margaret McBride, recently visited Anna’s House, a childcare center on the grounds of Belmont Racetrack for the children of the backstretch families.

The high school students prepared backpacks filled with school supplies for the younger children who will be entering kindergarten. It was a great effort by all members of NJHS. Ms. McBride along with Floral Park Memorial High School’s Principal Dr. Kathleen Sottile also attended the preschool graduation ceremony that was held on June 20.

Photo Caption: Members of Floral Park Memorial High School’s National Junior Honor Society prepared backpacks filled with school supplies for the children who attend Anna’s House.

Photo courtesy of the Sewanhaka Central High School District