Throughout the 2013-2014 academic year, student athletes at DeSales University in Center Valley, Penn., have devoted their time and talents to volunteering in the community.
According to the University’s website, students on at least five varsity teams at DeSales have engaged in service so far this year. The University reports:
…[The baseball team] held their annual Miracle League event in January in which the entire baseball team gives the kids some basic instruction including playing catch with each of the children. The entire team then assists all of the players in a short game inside on the recreation courts. The Miracle League of Lehigh County is an organization which sets up baseball games for special needs children.
[Men’s and women’s basketball] volunteered on what has become an annual trip to the Lehigh Valley Academy in conjunction with the Cops-N-Kids Program. During the fall semester, the teams collected almost 600 books that were donated to the children at LVA. During the visit, the student-athletes read stories to the students, helped them create bookmarks, and autographed their books and bookmarks. Both teams always have a tremendous amount of fun and enjoy their visit with the children at LVA every year.
During the fall semester the [field hockey] team volunteered on several Saturdays with the Miracle League of Northampton County. The first night of pre-season practice, the team went to Palmer Community Center to participate the first time in which they were each paired with buddies that they played two innings of baseball with. The team was paired with the Dodgers, a team with kids ages 5-17 with various physical or developmental handicaps. The team created a terrific connection with their buddies and have been back three more times since the initial visit. The entire team hopes to make a few more visits in the spring once the seasons re-starts.
DeSales University is recommended in The Newman Guide for strong Catholic identity.
– See more at: http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/3026/DeSales-Univ-Student-Athletes-Volunteer-in-Community.aspx#sthash.0OkSqKIJ.dpuf
