Section V Student-Athletes Make a Powerful Impact Through Primetime585 Community Initiatives

Student-athletes from across NYSPHSAA Section V continue to demonstrate that the impact of sports reaches far beyond competition. Through the Primetime585 Thanksgiving Program and its holiday initiatives, teams across the region came together this season to support families and children in need throughout Upstate New York.

Feeding Families for Thanksgiving

This year’s Primetime585 Thanksgiving Adopt-A-Family Program brought together 94 teams from 57 schools across Section V, working collectively to help families celebrate the holiday with a healthy meal. Through their efforts, student-athletes helped provide Thanksgiving meals that fed 3,988 people across the region.

The program continues to grow each year, engaging athletes, youth programs, businesses, and community organizations in a shared mission of service. Families in Monroe, Wayne, Ontario, Livingston, and Genesee counties benefited from the initiative, with teams shopping for and delivering full Thanksgiving meals.

The Adopt-A-Family program is now in its fifth year, and during the past four Thanksgiving seasons alone, the initiative has helped feed 9,870 people, including 2,655 children. One of the most meaningful aspects of the program is the personal connection created between teams and the families they support. Whenever possible, teams not only shop for the meals but also deliver them directly, allowing student-athletes to interact with the families and see the impact of their generosity firsthand.

Supporting Children Through Holiday Giving

The spirit of service continued through the Primetime585 Holiday Coat and Toy Drive, where Section V teams worked together to support children facing difficult circumstances during the winter season.

A total of 51 teams from 44 schools participated in the toy drive, helping provide gifts to 877 children. Among those served were 469 children identified under the McKinney-Vento program, which supports students experiencing homelessness.

Primetime585 also partnered with the Golisano Children’s Hospital sickle cell unit to support young patients battling the painful disease that often requires weekly blood transfusions. Through the initiative, student-athletes helped provide more than 1,300 toys and 430 coats to children receiving treatment.

Beyond the hospital partnership, the drive also supported six city schools, two rural schools, and three homeless centers, ensuring that children across multiple communities had warm coats and holiday gifts.

Teaching the Power of Giving Back

From shopping for groceries to wrapping toys and delivering meals, student-athletes throughout Section V played a hands-on role in each part of the effort. These experiences provide young athletes with valuable lessons about empathy, service, and leadership while strengthening the connection between schools and their communities.

Programs like Primetime585 show how athletics can serve as a powerful platform for community impact. By working together, these student-athletes are not only building stronger teams but also stronger communities.

Their efforts stand as a reminder that the true measure of a team is not only what they accomplish on the field, but also how they serve others off of it.