NEW ORLEANS – With the summer upon the Tulane student-athletes, many have traded in their uniforms and equipment to lend a helping hand in the New Orleans community, as hundreds of Green Wave student-athletes have taken part in a variety of events during the first two Fridays of June.

Each Friday throughout the summer months, Tulane student-athletes, along with athletic department personnel, will venture out into the community that surrounds the Uptown campus.

On June 6, four different groups of student-athletes split up and performed a variety of duties at different locations across the city. Devin Powell (football), Paije Hall (women’s basketball), Jamie Kaplan (women’s basketball), Tyler Gilbert (football), Tre Drye (men’s basketball), Alex Van Cott (men’s tennis), Tim Yandel (baseball), Payton Henson (men’s basketball), Lauren Arnold (swimming and diving) and Justyn Shackleford (football and track and field) headed to the Tulane Cancer Center, where they brought smiles to the faces of many of the young patients being treated for illnesses. The group played games and chatted with the kids, while also passing out Tulane hats, sunglasses, wristbands and other memorabilia.

Another group spent time at the NFL Youth Education Town on South Broad Avenue. Fletcher Barnes, Eric Bowie, Glen Cuiellette, Andrew DiRocco , Raul Diaz , Lorenzo Doss , Braynon Edwards , Terren Encalade, Rene Fluery, Zachary Harris, Dontrell Hilliard, Devon Johnson, Charles Jones , Robert Kennedy, Donnie Lewis, Stephen Lofton, RaeJuan Marbley, Trey Scott, Daren Williams, Sean Wilson, Peter Woullard, Rob Kelley, Frank Thomas and Royce LaFrance of the Green Wave football squad joined men’s basketball players Louis Dabney, Kajon Mack, Malik Morgan, Cameron Reynolds, Ryan Smith and Keith Pinckney in speaking to over 150 children, dishing out advice on the importance of studying, exercising and staying in school. The group also spent some time doing drills with some of the children.

Across town, a large group of Green Wave football student-athletes in Eric Bell, Bob Bradley, Aaron Bryant, Quinlan Carroll, Sean Donnelly, Jarrod Franklin, Luke Jackson, Tanner Lee, John Leglue, Nico Marley, Calvin Thomas, Lazedrick Thompson, Arturo Uzdavinis, Fudge Van Hooser, Eldrick Washington and Sam Winston spent some time helping beautify the area around the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park. The contingent of footballers not only picked up trash, but pulled weeds in the gardens surrounding the area while also trimming overgrown bushes and trees.

The last group of Tulane student-athletes stayed on the Tulane campus, performing a variety of duties in the on-campus Aron Apartments. Amy Lanski (volleyball), Annie Shurtz (volleyball), Tamika Brazzel (track and field), Whitney Bibbins (women’s basketball), Tiffany Dale (women’s basketball), Chinwe Duru (women’s basketball), Sergio Medina (football), Tristan Cooper (football), Morgan Rogers (women’s basketball), Josh Hearlihy (men’s basketball), Eric Thomas (football) and Nathan Shienle (football) were under the command of Tulane maintenance crews, helping to repair and clean the apartments for the upcoming tenants.

The following Friday (June 13), more student-athletes took to the streets of New Orleans to volunteer their time in a variety of ways. Once again, a group of student-athletes in Sherman Badie (football), Tierra Jones (women’s basketball), Brent Comardelle (football), David Dubriel (football), Emerson Gibbs (football), Brandon Godfrey (football), Dontrell Hilliard (football), Richard Allen (football and track and field), Charles Jones (football), Robert Kennedy (football), Stephen Lofton (football), Tanzel Smart (football), Mel Mandelbaum (volleyball) and Adesuwa Ebomwonyi (women’s basketball) returned to the Avon Apartments to continue the work of their peers.

Additionally, Bell, Brazzel, Carroll, Diaz, Dirocco, Edwards, Encalade, Hall, Leglue and Thompson joined first-timer volunteers in Kedrick Banks (football), Silvai Garces (women’s golf), Nick Montana (football), Parry Nickerson (football), Emily Penttila (women’s golf), Dylan Richman (football), Trey Scott (football) and Jason Stewart (football) for the second-consecutive trip to the NFL YET facility by Green Wave student-athletes.

Some Green Wave student-athletes did participate in new events on June 13, as two different groups spent some time at facilities for those less fortunate.

Football stars Bryant, Donnelly, Franklin, Marley and Van Hooser joined forces with teammates Devon Breaux, Matt Marfisi and Kenneth Santa Marina at the Bridge/Grace House on Earhart Boulevard whose mission is to provide gender specific treatment to men and women who have become dependent on alcohol or drugs so that they may lead sober and productive lives. The group of student-athletes washed cars, which are donated to the facility and then sold to raise funds for the facility. The football players also prepared meals for those who are currently at the facility.

While the football players were at the Bridge/Grace House, a wide variety of student-athletes – including Arnold, Barnes, Bowie, Cuiellette, Doss, Edwards, LaFrance, Johnson, Lewis, Medina, Rogers, Thomas, Shienle, Sydie London (football), Daliadiz Ortiz (track and field), Xavier Rush (football) and Nicky Stracar (women’s tennis) – spent their Friday afternoon at the Covenant House on North Rampart Street. The Covenant House is a 24-hour facility that provides a safe haven for homeless and at-risk youth. Many of the male student-athletes took part in cleaning and repairing some of the stairwells at the facility in addition to unloading water from trucks for the youth staying at the facility. Many of the women student-athletes helped prepare meals in the kitchen during their time there.

“These organizations really appreciate the work our student-athletes are doing this summer,” said Charlotte Battiest, an academic counselor in the Academic Services Center for Student-Athletes and one of the spearheads of the community service work by the Green Wave student-athletes. “Community service is one of the cornerstones we build programming around and I am glad our Athletic Director Rick Dickson supports the Athlete Essentials 101 and 201 summer programming and community service outreach.”

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In his four years of high school, Malynn was a National Honor Society officer at West Ranch, a member of the California Scholastic Federation, was the founding captain at the school for Action Team — a national youth volunteer program, and a peer leader at Our lady of Perpetual Help Catholic church in Newhall.

Malynn hates to admit it, but the motivation to get active in the community was based on his own need and not that of others’.

“I’m not going to lie. My freshman year you sign up for programs like NHS, and I was going through confirmation, you have to fill out a certain number of hours of community service,” Malynn says. “At first it was filling boxes (on volunteer forms) and making numbers. But once I established that footing in community service I fell in love. My passion is getting people to fall in love with helping people in the community.”

He did that for his entire baseball team last September.

Being the leader of the Action Team, he wanted to link a volunteer effort with his baseball team.

Burrill agreed, but he told Malynn that his hands were full and that the student/athlete had to organize it and execute it.

The idea was to bring Santa Clarita Special Olympics athletes to West Ranch High and conduct a baseball clinic/game.

Malynn had volunteered for Special Olympics in the past, but he had another connection that motivated him.

His cousin Nick has Down syndrome.

Michelle says her son has always connected well with her nephew.

“When you’re growing up and in elementary school and junior high, there are the special education classes next door. People crack jokes (about the kids in the classes). You don’t understand it till you’re connected with someone with Down syndrome (or another special need),” Malynn says. “It’s like any other characteristic. Nick is one of my favorite people to be around. I just wanted to find an event for people to connect to and have relationships with people with special needs.”

Nearly 50 Special Olympians participated in the event, necessitating the use of the adjacent softball field.

Malynn’s lasting memory was of an Olympian named Spencer who slid into home plate on the hard, packed dirt. Spencer then cracked a giant smile.

“It was fantastic,” Burrill says of the event. “Honestly I was upset with myself that I hadn’t done it earlier. It took someone like Chase to show me. I’d never done this, and I’m 44. Honestly, I’m embarrassed.”

To read more please visit the source: http://www.signalscv.com/section/19/article/121868/

Wednesday was was field day at Albert Lea High School but it wasn’t for the students. National Honor Society students hosted the day for preschoolers in Special Olympics.

Different stations tested basic skills such as kicking, throwing, catching, hitting and jumping.

Even though the event was held for students with special needs, high schoolers were benefiting as well.

“There have been moments where we’ve been in tears and it’s been happy tears just seeing the kids interacting with one another and just the benefits this program has brought,” National Honor Society Advisor Gina Klennet said.

This was the first time Special Olympics has partnered with a school. Both organizations are hoping it can be a lasting relationship.

To view the video please visit the source: http://www.kaaltv.com/article/stories/s3427904.shtml

For a fifth year in a row, Notre Dame student athletes are reaching out to their community through a summer class called the Center for Social Concerns.

On Thursday, a group of athletes participating in the class was spending their afternoon at the Corvilla House on Bulla.

Corvilla is a non-for-profit organization that provides homes for adults with developmental disabilities.

Jarrett Grace says, “”For us it is such a change up and such a blessing just to have these experiences that really open our eyes to the community and the people that support us. We are coming out here and these guys are great. They love us and know stuff about us and it gives us a chance to learn stuff about them and their lives.”

All week the athletes will spend their mornings in the classroom then their afternoons at the house where they help with cookout, play games, and spend time with the residents.

“You get to meet a lot of new people and throughout the week you really get to know them and really become friends with them. Honestly we learn from them. They are just such great people and happy all of the time. It really just brightens our day,” says Nick Martin.

Source: http://www.wndu.com/sports/headlines/ND-student-athletes-volunteer-at-Corvilla-House-262971811.html

On Saturday, June 6, the University of Minnesota athletics department was represented at the HopeKids sixth-annual Suburban Adventure Walk and Run at the Brandtjen Farm Community in Lakeville, Minnesota.

The Golden Gophers were represented by Chris Johnson, Rebecca, Weiland, and Devin Ste. Marie from swimming, Mo Walker from men’s basketball, and Matthew Jergenson and Titania Markland from men’s and women’s cross country and track and field. The student-athletes helped out with the event by serving lunch, talking and interacting with the children and getting signatures on t-shirts for donors from the HopeKids and their siblings.

The HopeKids Suburban Adventure Walk is a five or 10 kilometer run or walk in the neighborhood of Brandtjen Farm. Families can create fundraising teams to help sponsor their runs or individuals can run on their own. This year marked the sixth year of the Suburban Run, and the past five years of the event have raised over $375, 000 to benefit HopeKids Minnesota.

Many families and friends braved the rainy weather on Saturday to come participate in the event. The Gophers had a great time meeting the families and talking to some of the HopeKids there. After lunch, everyone gathered to watch one of the event’s biggest sponsors, Relentless, have members of its team perform heavy lifting tasks. One young man dead-lifted a car, and another man pulled a fire truck behind him as families and children lined up down the road to watch and cheer him on.

Relentless is a group of power lifters that hosted an event this past March where members competed to raise the most money for HopeKids. Relentless raised an impressive $196,000 for HopeKids, so it was exciting for the HopeKids organization and its families to watch and meet some of the power lifters at the Suburban Adventure.

The Gopher student-athletes look forward to the next event with HopeKids at the annual HopeDay Festival on Sunday, September 7th.

Source: http://www.gophersports.com/sports/student-affairs/spec-rel/060914aaa.html