LOWELL, Mass. – Several members of the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team recently volunteered at The Wish Project, a local non-profit goods bank, to help support the victims of the tragic Branch Street fire that took place in Lowell on July 10.

“I was deeply saddened when I received the news about the Lowell fire,” said Head Coach Pat Duquette. “When a tragedy such as that fire happens in our community, it really puts life in perspective. While we are extremely passionate about athletics here at UMass Lowell, when something like this strikes so close to home, everything else must come to a halt. A vital part of a student-athlete’s experience as a River Hawk is community service and we will continue to instill these principles into our young men.”

A group of nine from the River Hawk men’s basketball program spent the day packing and moving supplies that The Wish Project will be distributing to over 50 residents who were displaced by the July fire.

“It was a great experience,” said incoming freshman Josh Gantz. “I was happy that we could offer some help in the community that has embraced us to play for them.”

The team was responsible for locating the proper materials in the large warehouse before getting them ready to send out to the families in need. In doing so, the River Hawks competed to see who could complete their package faster. The student-athletes also had the opportunity to meet and speak with some members of the community.

UMass Lowell returns to action in 2014-15 under the direction of Duquette in his second season. The River Hawk roster features six veterans from last year’s team that finished 10-18 overall and 8-8 in its first season as a member of the America East Conference. Coach Duquette also welcomes seven newcomers to round out his squad.

About The Wish Project: The original Wish Project was a written four-pronged plan for how to provide all manner of goods (other than food) to all the needy all year long. Need was organized by urgency from crisis same day needs to seasonal needs like blankets. Those needs would be met by: wishes, seasonal projects, the Emergency Support Program and a for profit venture to fund the other three. Our mission is to provide our local people in need with basic furniture, home and baby goods while we help the planet by recycling used goods. Only when people have their basic needs met can they move forward and out of the social services system. By providing basic goods to people in crisis, we help end needless suffering in the short term while helping to end homelessness in the long term. People living in poverty are always in crisis-mode.

Source: http://www.goriverhawks.com/news/2014/8/7/MBB_0807143136.aspx

NEW YORK – Rising junior Rachel de la Torre (New York, N.Y.) of the Southern Connecticut State University gymnastics team continued her volunteer work at a New York soup kitchen earlier this week. She once again helped to make sandwiches that will be distributed to the city’s needy.

This event is just one example of many community outreach events that SCSU student-athletes will take part in as part of the Tim Greer Insurance Agency Community Service Cup.

Initiated in September, 2008, the ‘Community Service Cup’ program provides a competitive format that allows student-athletes to gain an enriched experience through engagement with the on-campus and local communities by supporting ventures of traditional citizens, campus community members and peer students and student-athletes. SCSU student-athletes volunteered more than 4,000 hours of their time to numerous outreach efforts, both on-campus and in Greater New Haven, during the 2013-14 academic year.

Source:

“The conference also continued its heavy commitment to service. In what has become an annual tradition, nearly every NEAC member school held a fundraiser in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, collectively raising thousands of dollars towards breast cancer research. Many of the conference’s women’s basketball teams also participated in the “Play 4Kay” initiative throughout the season to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.

One conference member took its service overseas, as the Keuka College women’s and men’s volleyball teams donated over $400 of school supplies to the Casey Community School in Gallon Jug, Belize, while also providing a personalized message and autographed photo to each of the school’s 51 students. After serving two separate field periods in Belize, senior women’s volleyball player Meg Houlihan (Elysian, Minn.) was the brainchild behind the project, which gained national exposure after being featured in the Spring 2014 edition of NCAA Champion Magazine.”

TO read the full article please visit: http://www.neacsports.com/news/releases/2013-14/Release_14-07-30_10-Year_Anniversary_Recap

IRVING — Conference USA hosted its Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representatives for a Student-Athlete Forum July 25-27 at the league’s headquarters. Fifteen SAAC representatives, including UTSA’s Anka Grotle (soccer) and Lauren Muenchow (volleyball), participated in a number of interactive presentations with topics ranging from academic success to the role of student-athletes in the new governance structure.

The three-day forum allowed representatives to focus on items most relevant to student-athlete welfare, from time demands to overall health and safety. Participants also discussed community service initiatives, including the league’s “Let’s SAAC Hunger” program, and using social media and branding to create awareness of the mission and goals of SAAC on each campus.

C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky held a roundtable discussion with the group, followed by presentations from NCAA Assistant Director of Academic and Membership Services Quintin Wright and NCAA Assistant Director of Leadership Development Justin Paysinger. The student-athletes themselves served on panels that were recorded and will be available on the C-USA Digital Network.

The SAAC representatives also participated in a community service activity Saturday morning at the Stewpot in downtown Dallas. They were able to help facilitate The Stewpot’s Family Stabilization Program by organizing grocery orders and distributing them for pick up for families experiencing serious financial hardship. They also took part in street cleanup and distributing bottled water to the homeless.

“This was another great year with our student-athletes,” said C-USA Director of Compliance and Sports Services Frank Arredondo. “In only a few days, the group was able to come together and share insight into their experiences as student-athletes via our C-USA member schools. The group is committed to continually support its mission of developing leaders, promoting opportunities for student-athletes on campus and protecting student-athlete welfare.”

“C-USA SAAC members are among the most well-rounded individuals on their respective campuses,” added C-USA Director of Sports Services Chris Grant. “We were able to have dynamic conversations about the future of C-USA, top issues currently impacting student-athletes and how we can all strategically work together to continuously improve the student-athlete experience through the C-USA SAAC Strategic Plan.”

The SAAC representatives also enjoyed an evening outing to a Texas Rangers vs. Oakland Athletics baseball game at Globe Life Park. During the game, the representatives engaged in a “Life After Sports” conversation with Rangers’ Executive Vice President Joe Januszewski and Assistant Vice President Breon Dennis.

Source: http://www.goutsa.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=209602992&DB_OEM_ID=13100

MADISON, Wis. –UW’s Summer Bridge program concluded on Wednesday with a Badgers Give Back event, as 41 freshmen student-athletes wrote letters to service men and women.

LeAnn Bird of the Office of Academic Services (OAS) said the letters will be sent to members of the Wisconsin National Guard unit who are currently serving overseas.

“We explained the importance of what this would mean to the soldiers and how important it is for Badgers to give back,” Bird said.

Aiming to relieve this transition, the OAS, Office of Student-Athlete Development (OSAD), Compliance and Sports Medicine collaborated for the first time and developed a formal Summer Bridge program for incoming student-athletes at the University of Wisconsin.

“This is a great experience to give back to our service members,” freshman Micah Kapoi of the football team said. “Being from Hawaii, I understand the importance of our military because we were surrounded by many military bases.”

Teams with student-athletes participated in the Summer Bridge program were football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s hockey, women’s soccer, wrestling and volleyball.

Source: http://www.uwbadgers.com/genrel/073114aaa.html