Number of Participants: 1
Hours Donated: 100
Value of Time Served: $845
Event Type: Civic & Community
Sport: Girls Volleyball
Date: December 27, 2022
Location:
Molloy College a Private Catholic College
Hempstead Avenue, Rockville Centre
NY
About:
It isn’t uncommon to find senior Colleen Moulder set up at a table in the cafeteria at Molloy spending a free 20 minutes between classes catching up on an assignment. In fact, those 20-minute windows are what keeps the education major on track with her assignments and projects.
Moulder’s day began at 4:45 a.m. to prepare for an early morning volleyball practice in Quealy Gymnasium. From there, she has a full schedule of class, Molloy Student Government meetings, campus tours as a Student Ambassador, office work with the Midnight Run closet in Campus Ministry, meeting with the School of Education as a student representative, virtual meetings as a part of her fellowship with Team IMPACT, and organizing community service initiatives as the president of Molloy’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
“People have asked me why I do all of this,” explained Moulder. “And honestly, I don’t even know. I’m not looking to just build my resume or anything like that, I just genuinely enjoy helping people. I’ve always wanted to help people in different ways and give back. All I’ve known my whole life is that if you can help in some way, you help.”
In student-athlete orientation as a freshman, Moulder was introduced to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a group of student-athletes that meet to discuss issues affecting student-athletes on campus and helps to coordinate the department’s community service initiatives.
“When I first heard about SAAC and what it represented, it immediately appealed to me,” said Moulder. “I’ve always been involved in different community service projects and was interested in giving athlete opinion and using leadership skills to help the department.”
Since joining SAAC, Moulder has become the organization’s president, promoted inter-department projects on campus with both Molloy Student Government and Campus Ministries, helped Molloy win multiple community service awards, and helped the volleyball team win the Lions Cup, an inter-team competition that promotes athletic and academic excellence as well as community service and personal development.
Moulder is a third generation Molloy student behind her mother Ann Marie and sister Elizabeth, who also played on the volleyball team. A holiday tradition for the family began over a decade ago when Elizabeth was playing volleyball with the Lions and partnered with the Friends of Jackie Foundation to collect stockings filled with crayons, coloring books, and small toys to be gifted to children in the hospital on Christmas.
Nearly all of Colleen’s memories of the holiday season includes collecting, packing, and delivering stockings with members of her sporting teams, starting with middle school basketball and continuing today with Molloy volleyball. Over the years, the process has changed and grown, including her brother, William, spearheading a drive to benefit children in a hospital in New York City where he lives.
“A lot of the reason I want to give back so much is my faith,” said Moulder. “I’ve gone to church every Sunday my entire life, but I honestly think that helping people is the way that I show my faith. Even if I’m not speaking about Catholicism, community service is a way for me to showcase my faith and how I should live as a Catholic.”
When reflecting on how community service has influenced her collegiate experience, Moulder thinks of the volleyball team’s work to benefit the DezyStrong Foundation and its motto of ‘we get to’. The foundation recognizes the life of Matthew “Dezy” DiStefano, a pillar of the local volleyball community, who lost a battle with kidney cancer in 2020.
“There are so many times that I’ve done some kind of service, and each one helps me to remind me why I do all of these things,” Moulder concluded. “Sometimes when things are so hectic I ask myself why I do all of these things and get stressed about it, but I remember there are so many people that don’t have these opportunities and I want to make the most of them since I’m able to have the chance to do something for people.”
