Hempstead, NY – Throughout the fall semester Pride student-athletes were active in and around the Hofstra community, taking part in 25 projects. In all, Hofstra student-athletes dedicated more than 2,100 hours or service to others during the fall semester.
Highlighted projects included the Long Island Children’s Museum Annual Ghostly Gala, which had more than 30 student-athletes volunteer in a variety of areas at an event that entertains and educates children during Halloween. Other community service projects our student-athletes participated in included running sports clinics for local youth groups, the Colonial Athletic Association Blood Drive Challenge, the annual women’s lacrosse HEADstrong fundraiser and several visits to local shelters and nursing homes. The Department of Athletics is very proud of the outstanding work of our student-athletes, and would like to send a special thank you to all of the student-athletes and coaches who dedicated their time and efforts to serve others this past semester.
Some of the projects taken part in by Hofstra’s student-athletes included:
Rolling Thunder
Each weekend throughout the semester, the Pride men’s and women’s cross country teams spent time with Rolling Thunder, an organization that encourages children and young adults with special needs to embrace running, and uses the sport to create friendships and memories. Student-athletes took runners through warm-ups as well as running workouts, acting as positive role models for all participants throughout the semester. Both teams will continue to work with the Rolling Thunder organization throughout the spring semester.
Holiday Shoe Box Event
Throughout the month of December, each of Hofstra’s 17 athletic teams gathered items for a group of very special children at Winthrop Hospital. Those items were used to fill shoeboxes with stuffed animals, books, toys and arts and crafts and other items. All of the boxes were wrapped and donated to the Child Life Program to be distributed to children who would be spending the holidays in the hospital. Student-athletes also included very special notes in each box, wishing them well from all of the teams at Hofstra University.
Shake-A-Rake
This annual event brought together more than 200 student-athletes and 150 students at Hofstra University. Students spent a Saturday morning visiting local homes and senior centers, helping to clear leaves and debris from properties. This year saw the highest number of participants in the history of the six-year old event.
Center for Science Teaching & Learning; Spooky Fest
More than 60 student-athletes from men’s soccer, women’s tennis, field hockey, baseball and wrestling volunteered at this Halloween event in Rockville Centre. Volunteers dressed up as zombies, assisted with face painting, animal exhibits and arts and crafts tables to take children through a weeklong Halloween celebration.
Breast Cancer Walk
Student-athletes from Hofstra’s wrestling team took part in an annual 5k walk held at Jones Beach State Park. Team members helped raise funds for cancer research, and joined with thousands of participants to help support those battling breast cancer.
Long Island Children’s Museum
Team members from men’s and women’s tennis, women’s basketball and baseball assisted with the Long Island Children’s Museum Annual Ghostly Gala, a Halloween event for children. The evening had a variety of activities, including a spooky room, arts and crafts, as well as educational sessions for children of all ages.
Tunnel To Towers Run/Walk
The men’s and women’s Lacrosse teams and coaching staffs took a break from their fall season practices to participate in the Firefighter Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run/Walk in lower Manhattan. The 3.1-mile Tunnel to Towers Run/Walk honors the legacy of love given by Siller by paying tribute to his heroic life and death, his 342 FDNY brothers, and all those lost on 9/11. When his truck was prohibited from entering the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Siller raced on foot, through the Tunnel, with his gear strapped to his back. The Tunnel to Towers Run retraces Stephen’s footsteps on that fateful day. In running along his path, the Run/Walk honors the memory of all the firefighters, police, and EMS workers who performed their duty that day.
