Rochester, N.Y. – The Volleyball team recently volunteered their time to paint pumpkins with the residents of the Legacy Retirement Home in nearby Churchville.

This is the fourth year that the program has bought and donated the pumpkins before painting them with the residents.

More than 15 of the residents joined the team and had the chance to have a bit of fun with the younger generation.

“It is great to continue our relationship with Legacy Retirement home,” said coach Kirsten Meyers. ” Many of the residents attended Roberts Wesleyan and love to hear what is happening on campus now. Our team also benefits as we gain perspective on having a outwardly focus in serving others.”

The team plans to return after the season is completed in December to decorate Christmas cookies and again in February to make Valentine’s Day cards.

Provided by the Roberts Wesleyan Sports Information Department.

SOurce: http://www.eccsports.org/sports/wvball/2013-14/releases/102413_rwcvb

East Meadow, N.Y. – On Sunday, the LIU Post women’s lacrosse team stepped away from the field, and participated in the 20th-annual Walk-Along for Lupus at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, N.Y. The event raised over $200,000, in the hopes of finding a cure for the disease.

“Lupus has affected so many of our families here at LIU Post,” said Head Coach Meghan McNamara. “We want to do everything we can to help support Lupus awareness. It was a great honor to be able to walk on Sunday for the cause.”

Located in Bellmore, N.Y., the Lupus Alliance of Long Island/Queens continuously searches for a cure and cause for Lupus, while helping those with it live better lives while they wait for the cure.

For more information on the Lupus Alliance, or to make a donation, please visit http://lupusliqueens.org/events/20th-anniversary-walk-along-for-lupus/

Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.

Source: http://www.eccsports.org/sports/wlax/2013-14/releases/102213_liupwlax

Rockville Centre, N.Y. – Last Friday, the Molloy College men’s basketball squad hosted 30 members of the Rockaway Beach Special Olympics Team, along with its families. Quealy Gymnasium was broken up into six stations. Each station had two Lions’ student-athletes helping nine players from the Special Olympics team, holding tutorials on either shooting, dribbling or passing. Afterwards, the men’s basketball squad played the Special Olympics team in a 4-on-4 format.

The Lions also treated their guests to a dunk presentation. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed pizza and soft drinks.

“I am very thankful to Joe Featherston for bringing his group to Molloy College from Rockaway,” commented Molloy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Charlie Marquardt. “We are glad to connect with the great spirit that resides in their program. Also, I am very proud of the great interaction our players and coaches displayed that night. We look forward to more events with this group.”

The Molloy men’s basketball team kicks off its 2013-14 season on Saturday, November 9 when the Lions travel to Bridgeport, Conn. to battle Southern Connecticut State University at 6 p.m.

Provided by the Molloy Sports Information Department.

SOurce: http://www.eccsports.org/sports/mbkb/2013-14/releases/102213_molmbb

Aggies CAN is just around the corner and they are asking you to help contribute to a great cause by bringing a canned food to this weekend’s sporting events and help those in the Brazos Valley area.
Fans can bring a canned food item or make a monetary donation at this Friday night’s volleyball match vs Arkansas (6 p.m., Reed Arena) and/or soccer match against Ole Miss (8 p.m., Ellis Field), and by doing so can get in free.

Donate at: Volleyball – Friday, 6pm Soccer – Friday, 8pm Football – Saturday, 8-10:30 am
Donations will also be accepted at multiple points around Kyle Field prior to and at the start of the Texas A&M/Vanderbilt game on Saturday morning.
Aggies CAN began in 2000, when a group of student athletes wanted to give back to the community that had given so much to them. As a result, the student athletes teamed up with Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and began asking fans to bring canned food items to one football game of the season.

And what began as a small group of athletes has evolved into the largest student-athlete run canned food drive in the nation. Aggies CAN is 100 percent run by A&M’s student athletes, with a main goal of giving to the Brazos Valley Food Bank.
In addition, each year SAAC and Aggies CAN present a goal of how much money and cans they want to raise for the event, and every year Aggie fans have never disappointed. This year is expected to be anything but different.

In 2012, the groups raised more than $20,000 and collected more than 6,000 pounds of canned goods. This year, Aggies CAN’s goal is to raise $25,000 and 8,000 pounds of canned goods.
This fall Aggies CAN is teaming up with the Corps of Cadets, who will also be volunteering their time by helping collect cans and other donations along with the athletes.
Janell Lysack ’14, a member of the women’s golf team in her fourth year of being involved with Aggies CAN, explained that this move was another step in the direction of helping continue to bring together athletes and the rest of the campus.

The organization is also partnering with “12th Can”, an on-campus food drive initiative, for the second straight year.
“12th Can was started by John Claybrook, last year’s student body President,” Lysack said. “Basically his vision was being was being able to feed needy Aggies on campus…without asking any questions or having any cost to it, just a come-and-go food bank whenever (the students) needed lunches or dinners. We paired up with 12th Can last year and agreed to helping them start up this food bank on campus.
“12th Can is under the Brazos Valley Food Bank, and so our donations will be helping both, not one or the other. Everyone will benefit from it.”
Donations this year can be made at several Whataburger locations in town. Aggies CAN representatives will be at the Texas Ave. location in Bryan on Wednesday (Oct. 23) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and at the Dominik Drive location in College Station on Thursday (Oct. 24) at the same times.

For every dollar donated or two canned goods, Whataburger will be giving a coupon for a free Whataburger. The first 15,000 people to give a monetary donation of at least $1 or donate two canned good items at soccer, volleyball or football will receive a coupon for a free Whataburger.

Texas A&M student athletes and volunteers will be dressed in lime-green t-shirts, collecting your donations at Whataburger locations and sporting events.
Let’s #BTHOhunger by coming together to help Aggies CAN achieve their goal.

As Aggies CAN says, “A dollar today keeps the Hunger away”.

Source: Kevin O’Connor @ http://wtaw.com/2013/10/22/aggies-can-food-drive/
Short URL: http://wtaw.com/?p=71141

WEST HARTFORD — T-Bone stood on third base and glanced at the University of Hartford baseball players lined up on the foul line cheering for him. Then he tipped his cap to them.

Ryan Carter, a junior right-handed pitcher at Hartford, loves telling that story. He was one of the eight or so guys from the team who went to Thomas Hastings’ T-ball game in the spring. Thomas, aka T-Bone, is 7 years old. He loves the Red Sox. He loves baseball. He loves his friends from the Hartford baseball team. When he was a year old, he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, a disorder in which muscles get weaker with age and for which there is no cure.

Thomas, who lives in Windsor, was partnered with the Hartford baseball team through a Massachusetts-based program called Team IMPACT, which pairs children with life-threatening illnesses or life-altering chronic conditions with college athletic teams.

The Hartford men’s soccer team is also part of the program. Bryson Kelly, 10, of Rocky Hill, has mitochondrial disorder (in which food is not converted to energy for the body and the person affected is easily fatigued). He was paired up with the soccer team in August.

“His brother and sister go off to their different activities and he would say to me, ‘What’s my activity?'” said Bryson’s mom, Tyyne Kelly. “It breaks your heart. I’d tell him, ‘You’re going to the occupational therapist.'”

That’s definitely not as fun as going to hang out with soccer guys.

“It’s been an opportunity for him to be a part of the team,” Tyyne said.

Same with Thomas.

“When he first started playing T-ball, he was at the same skill level with the other kids,” said Thomas’ father, Brad. “As he’s gotten older, his friends have gone off to more competitive teams and he’s lost out on that opportunity.”

“Now [with Hartford], he’s integrated with a team. He gets that experience, physically and psychologically, to be part of the real team. He talks about the guys. He looks forward to seeing them. They are his teammates. It’s an experience he can’t get any other way.”

Thomas, who still can walk and run around on the baseball field but tires easily and uses a wheelchair to go longer distances, went to a number of Hartford baseball games last spring. He got his own locker in the Hartford locker room a few weeks ago. On Saturday, he went to the alumni game at Hartford and was able to decorate his locker.

“Most of the time, you don’t get to choose what team you get involved with,” Brad said. “My son’s a total baseball nut. I just put in a special request, if you could hook him up with a baseball team, that would be great.”

Bryson was going to see his locker Saturday for the first time and then going to the Binghamton-Hartford soccer game at night.

“The kindest thing I’ve ever seen was 11 guys coming to our house for his 10th birthday,” Tyyne said. “What college guys want to hang out with a 10-year-old on a Saturday afternoon? They were so sweet. It was the first time he wanted to have a friend at his birthday party to show his friend his teammates.”

“He has a hard time keeping up with other kids, so developing friendships is tricky for him.”

Hartford baseball coach Justin Blood already has his team involved in community service. They have worked with the RBI program in Hartford, trying to help revive baseball in the city; the Miracle League, a baseball league for children with disabilities; and they’ve volunteered at Jamie’s Run 5K every fall in Wethersfield.

Team IMPACT was more of a commitment. That was fine with Blood. He was all in.

“Thomas hasn’t officially been what they called ‘drafted’ into the program,” Blood said. “So we’re going to do a signing day [for him] in November around the national letter of intent signing day.”

This summer, Carter played for the Danbury Westerners of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. He thought it would be cool if Thomas could throw out the first pitch at a game. So he made it happen.

“Thomas got to throw out the first pitch, got a ball signed and got a T-shirt with his name on it,” Carter said. “The family had a good experience.”

Carter, who grew up in Proctor, Vt., has a deeper connection than most.

“I had a younger brother who passed away at an early age,” he said. “I definitely have a strong connection because of that. I definitely want to help anybody that’s facing any physical, mental, whatever kind of challenge they have. If you can make their life better for a day, or a year, I want to try to do that. Whether it be now or going forward.”

They are making a difference. Thomas, who also has scoliosis (an abnormal curvature of the spine), will have surgery for the 10th time on his back in November. The Hawks will be there for him.

Bryson, who tires easily and used to sit on a bench or a swing at recess at school, now kicks a soccer ball back and forth with a friend, his mom reports.

“Just the fact that he is willing to kick a ball back and forth…” Tyyne said. “Looking at Bryson and his level of confidence … it’s changed dramatically in the last couple months. It’s been an amazing experience so far.”

Source: Lori Riley @ http://articles.courant.com/2013-10-19/sports/hc-riley-column-1020-20131019_1_baseball-team-soccer-team-locker