News

ASHEVILLE – The hair sticking out of the ballcaps of the players on the UNC Asheville baseball team was pretty noticeable.

Bunch of long-haired hippie types, typical for one of those liberal arts colleges?

Nope, the soon to be no longer flowing locks of Bulldogs baseball players were grown with a purpose, to help in the fight against childhood cancer.

The post-game head shaving following Tuesday night’s meeting with Wake Forest at McCormick Field was one of the many acts of public service the Asheville athletic department conducts each year, providing money and other forms of aid to children, charities and the community in general.

And at the same time providing the student-athletes a blueprint for what hopefully is a lifetime of giving and helping others.

“We recruit good kids, so hopefully giving back is not something we have to teach them, but something they are already aware of and doing when they get here,” said baseball coach Tom Smith.

“Last year (from a similar head-shaving fundraiser) we got checks from 15 states. We put $10,000 here (to Mission Health) and $10,000 nationally (to children’s cancer research), and it’s important that our kids see that the work we do off the field is benefiting others who need help.”

“It’s not so much that we are expected to do this, but it’s something we want to do,” said senior baseball player Robert McIntosh.

“We have a chance to help kids with cancer. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?”

The baseball fundraiser caps an athletic season in which the Bulldogs spent a lot of time off-campus in and around Asheville, lending a hand, getting involved in the community and networking for both the university and perhaps future employment opportunities.

Coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick’s women’s basketball team was all over the place.

The entire team was involved in Rocky’s Readers at New City Christian School and Barnardsville Elementary, meeting in assemblies with the student bodies to explain the importance of reading and staying in school.

The team returned to the schools for pizza parties for classes that won contests, sharing lunch and playing games with kindergarten classes.

The Bulldogs were also involved in class participation with three classes at Isaac Dickson Elementary School, visiting the school on three occasions to read stories, work on math, share snacks and put on a performance for children.

The team visited MANNA FoodBank to help with warehouse packing for items that would be distributed through WNC.

Coach Frederico Santos’ volleyball team was also active, hosting a Pink-Out Game for the Ladies Night Out program that provides free mammograms to uninsured women.

The squad worked the National Girls and Women in Sports Day, giving clinics to young girls coming to campus as part of the program, and visited Asheville City Preschool and read to the kids there.

“The entire theme of giving back and the belief that ‘for whom much is given, much is expected,’ is something we talk a lot about at UNC Asheville,” said Kirkpatrick, a Waynesville native. “Volunteering is something we want to impart to our student athletes, not only to give back but being involved in the community where you live.

“Hopefully when they leave us, they understand that should be part of their life,” she said.

To read more please visit: http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2014/05/14/unc-asheville-athletes-give-back-community/9103727/

NEW ORLEANS – On Thursday, April 17, current and former Tulane football student-athletes spent the afternoon with players from the New Orleans Saints visiting children in the hematology and oncology unit at Tulane Hospital for Children.

Former Green Wave kicker Stephen Purcell and his younger brother Brandon Purcell – who is currently on the Green Wave roster – visited children and teenagers who have been stricken with a variety of life-threatening illnesses. Joining the Purcell’s on the visit was Green Wave football student-athlete Kenny Welcome and former Tulane standouts and NFL-hopefuls Cairo Santos and Chris Davenport.

New Orleans Saints representatives included running back Khiry Robinson, tight end Josh Hill and former Green Wave and current Saints quarterback Ryan Griffin. The seven brightened the days of many children too sick to either leave the hospital or even their rooms.

The group played games and passed out Tulane and Saints memorabilia to the patients throughout the day. They also signed autographs and posed for pictures with many of the patients and their families.

Stephen Purcell, who was a member of the Tulane football team from 2010-12, has been volunteering his time at the hospital since he first visited patients during preseason football camp with his teammates as a student-athlete in 2011. Since graduating from Tulane with his undergraduate degree in 2012, he completed Master’s degree this past year. The elder Purcell wrote about how he became captivated into volunteering his time and how beneficial it is for both patients and current and former student-athletes to spend time together.

“After arriving at preseason football camp in August 2011, I headed to Tulane Hospital for Children at the Tulane Medical Center with my teammates. I still picture the smiles we brought to the children as we signed autographs or just discussed their daily activities. I was instantly exposed to the health benefits of reaching out to one’s community and providing a source of support for them during a critical time in their health. It was at that moment that I realized that, simply by being Division I athletes, we were role models for the youths in New Orleans. Our mere presence lit up their faces and, for a moment, I could tell they temporarily forgot they were patients bound to the hospital while fighting illnesses.

During the visit, I met the chief of hematology and oncology, Dr. Tammuella Singleton, and after witnessing the impact I made on her patients, I continued to come back weekly. I did not want to have just one interaction with the children, but instead, wanted to form relationships with each child. If I was able to bring any kind of happiness into their lives, even transiently, then I wanted to be around as much as possible to do just that. Additionally, I wanted to learn the clinical side of these children’s histories.

As I participated in rounds while shadowing Dr. Singleton, I had the opportunity to be in the patients’ rooms to learn about what was wrong and what steps and tests were being taken to find the best treatment. The relationships I formed with the patients and physicians inspired me to visit the hospital weekly for the past three years, and these indelible experiences have solidified my choice to apply to medical school this year (I have already been accepted to schools, including Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.).

After graduating from Tulane in 2012 and completing my Master’s degree in 2013, I have continued to volunteer and shadow physicians at the Tulane Hospital for Children while working as a research assistant in the BANGL genetics lab downtown. Recently, I was especially inspired to go above and beyond by our patients at the hospital. I noticed several sickle cell and leukemia patients playing NFL videogames and drawing pictures of New Orleans Saints helmets.

Immediately, I told my brother Brandon about this and together we thought of a way to make these patients’ wishes come true. Thus, we combined our passion for serving others with our love for football and organized a joint Saints/Green Wave visit to the children in the hematology/oncology department.

During our visit, we signed autographs, posed for photos and provided Tulane and Saints memorabilia for the children to wear as they cheer on their two favorite local teams. We spent time with various children and teenagers on the chemotherapy treatment floor, and we also visited the rooms of those patients too sick to leave their beds. Seeing the excitement in the eyes of the patients and their families was truly rewarding. Whether we were playing catch with the Tulane footballs we distributed or giving pompoms to the little girls who always dreamed of becoming cheerleaders, we got to know these kids on a deeper level and were able to form memorable personal connections.

For the physicians, Dr. Singleton and Dr. Rishi Chavan, as well as the nursing staff, this was our way of saying thank you for what they’ve been doing. For the children, we hope that our presence helped to brighten their day because seeing their smiles truly brightened ours. It is our hope that other NCAA teams and professional athletes will acknowledge their ability to be role models and take advantage of that opportunity to serve their communities and bring the same joy and support to those in need.”

The impact made – for both parties involved – can go a long way.

“My pre-med student, Stephen Purcell, rounds with me every week and knows firsthand the daily suffering faced by the children we treat here at Tulane Hospital for Children,” Dr. Singleton said. “He reached out to his football colleagues to do something special for our kids. I had no idea how special it would be.”

“The atmosphere was electric and the patients were beyond thrilled! There was one little 4-year old chronically ill patient that did a dance. He could hardly contain himself, and I had to ask the players to go to his room right away. The smiles and all the happiness generated by the players’ visit were absolutely priceless. This visit meant the world to our little heroes that suffer through so much every day. I can’t say thank you enough. Stephen and each of the players were amazing,” Singleton added.

“It was an extremely powerful visit,” said Griffin, who was a four-year starter for the Green Wave and is entering his second season with the Saints. “The strength and toughness of the kids we visited was inspirational. I look up to those kids now.”

“When Steve told me about his first experience visiting the children a few years ago, I knew I wanted to give back to the community of New Orleans one day,” said Brandon Purcell. “As Division I athletes and NFL players, we have a responsibility to be role models for the youth of our city and this was the perfect opportunity to be a support outlet for the kids and make them smile during this tough time in their lives.”

The mission of the Department of Pediatrics at Tulane Hospital for Children is to advance knowledge in the field of Pediatrics through innovative medical education to students, residents and fellows; cutting edge basic and applied health research; and quality clinical services in general and specialty pediatrics.

The Section of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Tulane Hospital for Children is a comprehensive program that addresses both the medical and psychosocial needs of children with cancer and hematologic disorders such as sickle cell disease. The staff includes pediatric hematologists/oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, orthopedists, urologists, otolaryngologists, and ophthalmologists. Pediatric social workers help families cope with diagnosis and treatment, and support groups help educate families.

The Tulane pediatric oncology program belongs to the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) and they use treatment protocols designed by the physician experts in the group. This is done in order to provide the most up-to-date treatment for children with cancer and to better the treatment in the future.

– See more at: http://www.sportsnola.com/sports/tulane/608310-current-former-green-wave-student-athletes-and-new-orleans-saints-players-bring-smiles-to-tulane-hospital-for-children.html#sthash.Umdytpaa.dpuf

FAYETTEVILLE, AR – With the completion of finals this week on the University of Arkansas campus, Razorback student-athletes, coaches and administrators are set to travel to Central Arkansas on Friday to assist in the relief efforts for those impacted by the recent tornadoes in Mayflower, Vilonia and surrounding communities.

As part of the Razorback Relief efforts, the contingent will travel to a Regional Distribution Center in Conway to assist in the organization and distribution of food to the thousands of Arkansans who lost their homes in the recent storms. The 288,000 square foot warehouse is the base for storing the food that will help supply food to the six distribution points in Faulkner County and surrounding areas.

Following their work at the distribution center, the group will dine locally to help support an area business before traveling to tour some of the communities affected by the devastating storms.

On Tuesday night, Arkansas head football coach Bret Bielema, men’s basketball head coach Mike Anderson and football student-athlete Travis Swanson were in attendance to help support the benefit baseball game between Mayflower and Vilonia at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.

In addition, plans are already being made to return to Mayflower and Vilonia later this summer for additional relief efforts when more Razorback student-athletes are available to participate.

Friday’s trip is being coordinated in conjunction with Ron Harris of A Level Up, an organization that has been involved in providing disaster relief for more than a decade. Transportation for the Razorback Relief trip was donated by Cline Tours with additional trip support provided by Chick-fil-A.

Source: http://www.arkansasmatters.com/story/d/story/razorback-relief-helping-out-in-faulkner-county/68572/MSIKdNW3JUS38Ost7kKYxw

TINTON FALLS, NJ Seabrook residents love to help their friends and neighbors however they can. They regularly donate their time and talents helping a host of non-profit organizations by providing support for organizations such as the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, SPCA and the United Way of Monmouth County.

In their latest endeavor, residents collected clothing to help Monmouth County residents looking to dress for success through a special program sponsored by a local non-profit aimed at helping those in need.

In a one-day collection by the Seabrook community, approximately 1,000 bags of clothing went to Lunch Break, a Red Bank-based non-profit organization that provides lifes basic necessities for those in need, including food, clothing and fellowship.

The clothing collection is part of Lunch Breaks ongoing initiative called Suited for Success, which is designed to assist individuals in need of work appropriate attire and special occasion outfits.

This years collection is the highest one day total gathered by Seabrook since the Tinton Falls continuing care retirement community began this project and to date, residents have given close to 2,000 bags of clothing to Lunch Break.

The clothing was dropped off at locations throughout Seabrook, but it took a team of young local athletes to finalize the project. Student-athletes from the Monmouth University Athletic Department came to meet residents, gather the goods and deliver them to Lunch Break.

I am consistently astonished by the outpouring of support by our residents and staff who work to make the community-at-large a better place, said Seabrook Executive Director Art Sparks. The clothing that members of the Seabrook family donated will assist those who are seeking to obtain jobs and opportunities that will help them achieve their goals. I thank the residents, Lunch Break and the young athletes from Monmouth University who were involved in making this such a grand endeavor.

Lunch Break Executive Director Gwendolyn Love said, We are incredibly grateful for the enormous generosity and commitment of the Seabrook community and the athletes of Monmouth University. The hundreds of families helped in the clothing department at Lunch Break will have an abundance of quality items to fulfill their needs and especially for their children. We are very blessed to have this wonderful unique partnership of young athletes and retirees who have come together to help those in need.

For the full story please visit: http://www.app.com/viewart/20140510/GETPUBLISHED/405100301/Seabrook-community-collects-record-amount-clothing-Lunch-Break-Red-Bank

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – GW Athletics and its Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) were named the recipients of the inaugural Atlantic 10 Conference Assists Challenge on Wednesday, May 7. The Challenge was a yearlong community service initiative that encouraged the reporting of nearly 24,000 service hours by teams from 11 of the 13 A-10 institutions.

GW was declared the champion based on ‘institutional point value,’ which is determined through a formula that considers total community service hours completed, number of student-athletes participating and total number of student-athletes at the institution.

“As an athlete, you have a responsibility to give back to the community because the community is supporting you,” said GW women’s soccer senior and SAAC president Jane Wallis earlier this year. “You’re an ambassador for the school. It’s part of your brand to give back to something bigger than you.”

As a group, GW’s A-10 teams reported 5,130.75 hours of service toward the Assists Challenge, resulting in 29.83 points. Saint Joseph’s ended with 3,896 hours and 18.64 points to finish second and Duquesne had 3,475.5 hours, resulting in 18.34 points and third place.

“As leaders on campus, our SAAC outlined a vision from the beginning of the year to prioritize service to others,” said LifeSills Coordinator Ted Costigan. “GW student-athletes live out the mission of George Washington and have a ‘deeds not words’ attitude that extends across the D.C. community.”

Originating last fall by the Atlantic 10 SAAC, the A-10 Assists Challenge organized community service projects its member teams were engaged in into a fun and competitive activity that increased the visibility and awareness of the A-10 SAAC. The initiative, which accomplishes the A-10 SAAC’s goals of community service engagement and awareness also helps promote both the community service activities the student-athletes complete and the organizations and causes they are assisting. The result was nine of the institutions reported more than 1,000 hours of community service and five of those nine reported more than 2,000 hours. In all, 23,710.25 hours of community service were reported.

“We have amazing student-athletes in the Atlantic 10 — I commend them on having completed nearly 24,000 hours of community service. Volunteerism is an important initiative in this country and the Atlantic 10 Conference is proud to be giving back to each of our communities,” stated Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade.

Source: http://www.gwsports.com/genrel/050814aaa.html