QUEENS, N.Y. – As Director of Women’s Basketball Operations at St. John’s, Veronica Mullen’s long list of responsibilities includes helping the 11 student-athletes on the Red Storm’s roster fulfill the University Athletics Department mission of “Win. Graduate. Serve.” This winter, through a creation of her own, Mullen has put a special emphasis on the third element of that mantra, while coming up with a unique way of promoting school spirit and unity amongst St. John’s student-athletes.

Starting in early January, the Red Storm women’s hoops team has participated every week in “Athletic Community Wednesdays,” which Mullen developed with the goal of seeing St. John’s student-athletes take a special interest in serving their community and those less fortunate. Each week sees the Red Storm take part in a different service opportunity, and each week student-athletes from other teams on the St. John’s campus are invited and encouraged to take part.

“My vision for Athletic Community Wednesdays was to incorporate more programs in the various community service events that the women’s basketball team participates in during the year,” said Mullen. “I wanted to make it a more collaborative effort with student-athletes from a variety of sports coming together to serve the community. St. John’s prides itself on being a Vincentian University and giving back to the community and that is what this program focuses on. We have gotten off to a great start with the men’s soccer, women’s soccer and women’s golf teams joining women’s basketball at the volunteer events. We have softball signed up for future events and I look forward to working with more teams throughout the semester.”

This past Wednesday, members of the St. John’s women’s basketball squad were joined by student-athletes from the Red Storm women’s golf program in volunteering at The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island, which offers comfort and shelter to families experiencing the pain of having a sick child in local hospital facilities. Following a tour of the site, the St. John’s student-athletes used kitchen facilities at the Ronald McDonald House to prepare a brunch for the families of children being treated at Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center located in New Hyde Park.

“It was a humbling experience,” said Red Storm women’s golf student-athlete Brittany Hurst. “Sometimes we take for granted our good health while the children and their families that use the Ronald McDonald House services worry about whether or not their loved ones will make it to their next birthday. It was amazing being able to give back to our community, but the day was also a dose of reality of us.”

So far this winter, Red Storm student-athletes have already volunteered at a number of philanthropic organizations as part of Athletic Community Wednesdays. On Jan. 22, student-athletes helped out at The Mobile Soup Kitchen (MSK), a compact mobile extension of St. John’s Bread and Life operation which brings a soup kitchen to those in need. Student-athletes assisted with serving breakfast to the patrons of the mobile soup kitchen. On Jan. 29, Red Storm representatives were on hand to volunteer at Bright Beginnings, a non-profit child care center for New York state employees and the community at large serving children between the ages of one to four years old. Student-athletes assisted with serving breakfast to the infants before helping set up for the day’s activities. The first Athletic Community Wednesday of February saw St. John’s student-athletes volunteer at a thrift store as part of Handcrafting Justice, an international network that works in partnership with women in social and economic distress to promote human dignity and justice by creating opportunities for economic and social transformation.

Athletic Community Wednesdays are scheduled to continue through the month of April and will see Red Storm student-athletes work with senior citizens at LeFrak Senior Center (Feb. 19) and Northeast Queens Senior Services (March 5), volunteer at homeless shelters at Briarwood Family Residence (March 12) and Providence House (March 26), and even assist in laying reflective roof coatings in New York City to lower energy costs as part of Cool Roofs (April 23), among many more community service projects.

For more information on Athletic Community Wednesdays, contact Veronica Mullen by emailing mullenv@stjohns.edu.

The following is a list of philanthropic organizations with which Red Storm student-athletes are scheduled to volunteer with as part of Athletic Community Wednesdays.

February 19, 2014
LeFrak Senior Center
LeFrak Senior Center’s overall mission is to enhance the quality of life for seniors in the Queens community with love, dignity and respect.

February 26, 2014
Heart Share First Step
The mission of Heart Share Human Services is to nurture and support, with dignity and respect, children, adults and families in order to expand opportunities and enhance lives. Heart Share operates high-quality, innovative programs for children, from age 3 to 5, with developmental delays or disabilities. We also provide Universal Pre-K half-day classes for 4-year-old children. Heart Share firmly believes that the family is the most important influence in a child’s life. As a result, our programs emphasize parent education and family involvement. We maintain an open-door policy, and parents are always welcome to visit.

March 5, 2014
Northeast Queens Senior Services
For seniors aged 60 and older, Catholic Charities offers congregate lunch, entitlement counseling and advocacy, case management, transportation and chore services. Case management services for the homebound elderly include case assistance, information and referral, Meals on Wheels, transportation, supportive counseling, caregiver support groups, advocacy, and chore services.

March 12, 2014
Briarwood Family Residence
The Briarwood Family Residence is a temporary housing shelter for over 90 homeless families. One of the goals of Briarwood is to provide a pleasant, safe and well-maintained environment that encourages families to use the available social-service programs.

March 19, 2014
Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger
The Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger operates one of the largest client-choice supermarket- style food pantries in the five boroughs, providing food to an average 11,000 people every month. Alongside their core mission of fighting hunger in central Brooklyn and the greater New York metropolitan area, they also work to address health issues like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease that disproportionately affect their customer population.

March 26, 2014
Providence House
Providence House affirms its commitment to provide shelter and support to homeless, abused and formerly incarcerated women and their children in a hospitable, non-violent, compassionate atmosphere. We also strive to address the causes of injustice and work towards the full and fruitful participation in the community of those with whom we share life.

April 2, 2014
Breakfast Run with Casa Mary Johana
As one community, join us as our St. John’s University volunteers will make sandwiches and offer a simple breakfast, along with clothing and personal care items to immigrant workers at various sites on Long Island. This early morning relief effort creates a forum for trust, sharing, understanding and affection as a human exchange, rather than the exchange of goods. Through this Vincentian service effort, St. John’s University volunteers come to see and know God’s poor – to be transformed and challenged by these experiences.

April 9, 2014
Bethany House
Bethany House exists to strengthen and assist those women and children from Long Island who are deprived of the basic resources required for natural and healthy growth and development. Bethany House seeks to provide a homelike atmosphere where basic living needs are met and comprehensive services combine to encourage the head of the family to attain self – sufficiency for the family and restore their human dignity.

April 23, 2014
Cool Roofs
NYC °CoolRoofs is an exciting collaboration between NYC Service and the NYC Department of Buildings to promote and facilitate the cooling of New York City’s rooftops. Applying a reflective surface to a roof helps reduce cooling costs, cut energy usage and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Join us as we coat New York City rooftops to make a greener, greater New York!

April 30, 2014
Brush with Kindness/Publicolor
A Brush with Kindness is an exterior home preservation program that offers painting, landscaping and minor repair services to eligible homeowners so they can continue to live in safe, decent homes for years to come.

Source: http://www.redstormsports.com/genrel/021814aaa.html

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Student-athletes and coaches from the Southern Connecticut State University men’s and women’s soccer teams traveled to the Daniels School in New Haven on Monday as part of an interactive ‘Soccer Haven’ athletic program with students at the school. This program is a team effort between both men’s and women’s programs at several area greater New Haven colleges.

This program 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 3,000 hours of their time to numerous outreach efforts, both on-campus and in Greater New Haven, during the 2012-13 academic year.

For more information on the Tim Greer Insurance Agency, please contact 203-924-5510 or visit www.timgreerinsurance.com

BAY SHORE, N.Y. (Feb. 10, 2014) – Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center, Inc. (ADRC) will host its first annual “Give from the Heart” Athletes for Alzheimer’s Endurance Event to raise funds to support those who struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease and their unpaid caregivers. The event will take place on February 16 at Steel Fitness Gym, located at 2742 Grand Avenue in Bellmore, N.Y. from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Individuals and teams will participate in a daylong contest to determine who can perform the most sit-ups or pushups in a given period of time. Molloy College, Kellenberg High School, Nancy Burner & Associates and Dear Little Dollies have now registered for the event.

Volunteer coaches and Steel Fitness trainers will watch all participants to make sure they are done correctly and that the count is accurate. Awards will be presented to those who complete the most sit-ups or pushups and for those who raise the most funds. All of the money raised will go to benefit ADRC.

In the U.S., approximately 5.4 million people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and that number is only expected to increase. There are 77 million baby boomers in this country and 1 in 8 is at risk for getting this heartbreaking disease. As the number of people with the disease grows, there will be an increasing need for caregivers as well-who will need more support from local organizations and community groups. “Give from the Heart” is aimed to assist both caregivers and those who are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease alike.

“Give from the Heart” is being held in memory of Dorothy C. Camilleri, the late owner of Dear Little Dollies on Bedford Avenue in Bellmore. She passed away last year at the age of 87 after battling Alzheimer’s Disease. Ms. Camilleri’s daughter, Marijane, who was also her caregiver, decided to lead the event in her mother’s memory.

“We cannot thank Marijane, the ADRC staff, and the volunteers enough for organizing this innovative, athletic fundraising event,” says Mary Ann Malack-Ragona, Executive Director/CEO, Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center, Inc. “We hope to engage a younger age group with this fundraising event, with the intent to help them realize the importance of eradicating this devastating disease that affects so many people.”

To make a donation and to help this great cause, please click this link.

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Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center, Inc. – which is headquartered in Bay Shore and has a satellite office in Southampton – is the only local Alzheimer’s Disease advocacy and educational facility whose mission is to provide hands-on support and services to families on Long Island and the New York metropolitan area. ADRC works with family members, health care professionals and researchers to ensure quality health care and support to those impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease through care and consultation, information and referral, training, support groups, and caregiver safety products.

Please click here for ADRC’s official website.

ANN ARBOR — The National Association of Basketball Coaches has recognized Michigan graduate student Jordan Morgan as one of 10 college basketball players improving their communities and the lives of others.

Morgan was named Tuesday to the Allstate NABC Good Works Team, the organizations community service honor. The Detroit native was among 117 nominees submitted and then voted on by a panel comprised of former coaches, student-athletes and media members. The team is comprised of 10 student-athletes; five from the NCAA Division I and five from NCAA Divisions II, III and the NAIA.

The award will earn Morgan a second straight trip to the Final Four. Members of the Good Works Team will be invited to the 2014 NABC Convention at the Final Four in North Texas, where they will participate in a community service project.

Among Morgan’s previous points of community service: working with Mott’s “From the Heart” Program; speaking for Wines Elementary Run-a-thon on the importance of fitness; visiting Joshua’s Lemonade stand in Detroit; working clinics for high school students and coaches in Ivory Coast; visiting an orphanage in Ivory Coast; spoking at Brighton Community Bible Church youth group on faith; speakking at Huron Hills Church on faith in sports and life.

Morgan is currently working with Big Brothers Big Sisters to promote education and Meals on Wheels delivering lunches to the community.

Morgan earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering from U-M’s College of Engineering in April 2012, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in manufacturing engineering.

A tri-captain for the 2013-14 Wolverines, Morgan is averaging 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in his final season in Ann Arbor. Michigan is 17-6 overall and in a first-place tie in the Big Ten with Michigan State at 9-2 in league play.

U-M faces Ohio State (19-5, 6-5) on Tuesday night at Value City Arena (9 p.m., TV: ESPN).

Source: http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2014/02/michigans_jordan_morgan_recogn.html

Brendan F. Quinn covers University of Michigan basketball. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on Wolverines hoops. He can be contacted at bquinn@mlive.com

EL PASO, TX — UTEP collected more than 27,000 pounds of food during the “Let’s SAAC Hunger” program, the Conference USA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s conference-wide community service initiative. The Miners won the 2013 C-USA “Let’s SAAC Hunger” title
by collecting the most food by weight.

Each C-USA school worked within their respective communities to conduct a campus-wide canned food drive for one week during the fall semester. This year, C-USA also partnered with YouGiveGoods, a for-profit company that facilitates online food drives. This partnership allowed C-USA student-athletes to reach a much larger audience. All student groups and alumni were encouraged to participate. Each institution selected a local food bank to receive their donations. UTEP’s contributions went to El Pasoans Fighting Hunger.

“We are grateful for the chance to be community leaders and service those in need,” said Mandy Pulido, UTEP Athletics SAAC Advisor. “The SAAC hunger food drive is a great way to promote school spirit and unity within C-USA.”

More than 44 tons of food totaling a C-USA “Let’s SAAC Hunger” record 88,581.90 pounds, which equates to nearly 75,000 meals, was collected conference-wide. Ten C-USA schools collected more than 2,000 pounds of food donations during their drive week, while UTSA and Tulane collected more than seven tons of food.

UTSA collected 20,792 pounds of food for the San Antonio Food Bank, while Tulane gathered 14,238 pounds for Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans. East Carolina had the best online participation, with 794 pounds of food added to its collection of 3,400 pounds during the food drive for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

Other donations across Conference USA benefitted Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Boca Helping Hands, Miami Rescue Mission Inc., Northwest Louisiana Food Bank, Marshall University Food Pantry, Middle Tennessee Student Food Pantry, Shepherd’s Hand Food Bank, Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, Houston Food Bank, Edwards Street Mission and Christian Services, Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.

The C-USA SAAC was formed in 1998. Its committee consists of 32 representatives (two from each institution) with one member serving as chair and one member as vice chair. The committee meets five times a year, including one in-person meeting.