Old Westbury, N.Y. – Along with excelling on the fields of play and in the classroom, the NYIT athletic department has also had several teams join together to complete many hours of community service over the past couple of months.
The most recent event held on campus was in honor of April as Autism Awareness Month. Several off-campus groups as well as student from the on-campus NYIT Vocational Independence Program (VIP) came out for a day of activities concluding with the NYIT Baseball game against St. John’s. Despite a rainy start, the participants had the chance to interact with our student-athletes indoors before heading out to join the baseball program for the national anthem as well as throw out a first pitch, or two.
Last week, the NYIT women’s soccer team visited the Almost Home Animal Adoption & Rescue, in Bohemia, N.Y.. They are a 501c3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping homeless, abused, and neglected animals. Their outreach programs are responsible for keeping animals healthy despite the conditions they may live in. The team was able to give the animals some much needed love and affection by playing, walking, and even bathing them. Having the opportunity to volunteer with Almost Home Animal Rescue and Adoption was an eye opening experiences that impacted our student athletes immensely.
“Community service plays a huge role in our athletes lives at NYIT,” said newly named Head Coach Rachel Reeves. “As coaches, I think its our responsibility to engage our student athletes and expose them to different areas in our community that may need a helping hand. Not only is it great to give back to those in need, its great to see the impact that giving back has on our students.”
Additionally, the NYIT men’s soccer team spent a morning creating basket filled with Easter goodies to be distributed to families in need during the Easter holiday. The Bears were in charge of putting together the baskets, including the candy and toys inside as well as wrapping the basket to be delivered.
Finally, the Elite 8 NYIT volleyball team spent an afternoon at the Brookville Center for Children’s services last weej, donating their time to do activities with the students. Members of the team were in charge of setting up the space with a balance beam, parachute games and an obstacle course and spending time with the students.
About NYIT
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has more than 12,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.
Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, nearly 100,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.
