“Through the years Team Up 4 Community’s grants have helped a variety of organizations. We have been able to donate funds to The Gift of Life Organization, Sunrise Day Camp, and The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation.
The Syosset High School Interact Club supports a multitude of organizations that support children and Team Up 4 Community grants have contributed to our overall mission."
Stacey Balducci
Interact Club Advisor, JV Cheerleading Coach
Syosset High School
"Thanks to our long-time partnership with Syosset High School, we saw first-hand the generosity and impact that Team Up 4 Community has in their community. In 2022, Sunrise Association Day Camps had nearly 2,000 children with cancer and their siblings enrolled in our day camps and nearly 14,000 children served in our in-hospital and virtual programs. As a no-fee-for-service organization, we rely solely on the generosity of our donors and community, and Team Up 4 Community was a big part of our success last year.
Team Up 4 Community encourages their community to create positive and lasting change, and with their support, Sunrise Association Day Camps allow children with cancer and their siblings to enjoy a regular summer camp experience, changing months of loneliness and isolation into a summer filled with smiles, laughter, and friendships. We are so grateful for Team Up 4 Community!"
Lizzie Mancini
Director of Special Events
Sunrise Association Day Camps
“The Team Up 4 Community grant allowed Hicksville Middle School to expand our curriculum, improve our supplies, and better serve our school community. It gave us the funding we needed to take our mission of community health awareness to the next level and truly make a difference.
Receiving the grant was also a morale booster for students and staff. Knowing that others believe in our goal and the work we do to spread awareness is a tremendous validation. We are now able to better support our causes while making a lasting impact. We are grateful for the opportunity and cannot imagine where we would be without Team Up 4 Community's generous grant donation.”
Anthony Tussie
Health and Physical Education Teacher
Hicksville Middle School
“Thank you for the opportunity to work with Team Up 4 Community. It's rewarding for the coaches and the athletes to receive recognition for their efforts. The grant we received was used to send a better educational message to our students that we do not participate in the community service challenges for the benefit of ourselves but for the charities we represent.”
Patrick M Smith CAA
Coordinator of Physical Education, Health, Athletics, and Nurses
Smithtown Central School District
“The MIAA partnership with TeamUp 4 Community has been nothing short of incredible. The platform allows MIAA student-athletes to both showcase their service projects as well as gather ideas for future service initiatives. The partnership has elevated the selfless community work that our students participate in daily. Service is a critical component to leadership and our future leaders are truly making a difference.”
Phil Napolitano
Assistant Executive Director
Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association
“I can't thank Team Up 4 Community enough for helping me to spread additional awareness for suicide prevention. Since participating in the Long Island Sports Heroes Challenge we raised over $9,000 for Adolescent Suicide Prevention.”
Harold Teller
8th Grade Basketball Player
Commack Schools
“The Team Up 4 Community mission and platform has significantly increased participation in the NYSPHSAA Community Service Challenge program. Their partnership allows us to exemplify the positive impact student-athletes have in their community and beyond. Being able to see the service to the communities throughout New York is simply extraordinary. We are grateful to be a part of such a meaningful partnership.”
Kristen Suatoni Jadin
Assistant Director
New York State Public High School Athletic Association
“We were so honored to be selected as a winner of the TeamUp4Community Scholarship. Our cheer program participates in numerous community service events throughout the year and it was great to see the team recognized by their community for their contributions. We are thankful for TeamUp4Community helping them reach their goals.”
Samantha Chaback
Cheerleading Coach
Oceanside High School
“I collected prom dresses for Becca's closet. In organizing this initiative I believe I truly made a positive impact on the lives of girls in need. Through my participation in Team Up For Community, I created awareness and gained a tremendous amount of support for Becca's Closet. Having so many people vote for me in the L.I. Spring Sports Heroes Challenge truly showed me why I worked so hard for this charity.”
Ava Mogelefsky
11th-grade Cheerleading
John F. Kennedy High School - Bellmore
“Winning 1st place in the L.I. Sports Impact Challenge has made a huge difference. We were able to come together as a school, vote as a community, and then, make a donation to the community. We still talk about how amazing the process was. We can’t wait to participate in the Challenge again! Team Up 4 Community has made a big difference in all schools, not just Lynbrook.”
Dr. Tieniber
Key Club Advisor
Lynbrook Senior High School
“Receiving the Community Service Challenge award and being recognized by Team Up 4 Community and NYSPHSAA is a tremendous honor for Hewlett High School’s students and faculty. One of the district’s values is to honor our commitment to the community and to create opportunities for students to fulfill their potential.”
David Viegas
Director of Physical Education Health and Athletics
George W Hewlett High School
“I am honored that Athletes in Action has been recognized by Team Up 4 Community and NYSPHSAA. It was created because we felt Harrison athletes could make a positive impact on kids and the Harrison athletes are also rewarded with the great feeling that comes from helping other kids.”
Josh Cooper
Student Athlete
Harrison High School
“On behalf of the Maple Hill girls varsity team, we are extremely honored to be accepting the Team Up 4 Community and NYSPHSAA award for the community service we did. For the people fighting for our country, and fighting this pandemic head-on during such an uncertain time, we give our utmost gratitude and appreciation. I am incredibly grateful to my coaches, who value community service, and stressed its importance on our team. I am immensely proud of our team and am so blessed to have been a part of Operation Gratitude.”
Meghan Bennett
Student Athlete
Maple Hill School
“The North Salem Volleyball team could not be more honored to receive the Fall 2023 Community Service award from Team Up 4 Community and NYSPHSAA. It is truly an incredible experience raising over $19,000 for the Side-Out Foundation and its Dig Pink Program. The team worked so earnestly to be able to say it helped those individuals and families fighting metastatic breast cancer. We received so much support from the community and are so thankful for their efforts in helping us reach and surpass our goal.”
Toni Fiore
Girls Volleyball Head Coach
North Salem High School
“Helping others and doing acts of kindness are not only so important but necessary. It is amazing that an organization like Team Up 4 Community not only highlights student-athletes good deeds in their communities but also motivates student-athletes to get involved to make a difference.”
Avery Testa
Varsity Lacrosse and Soccer Player
South Side High School
“Winning the Team Up 4 Community Sports Heroes Challenge was a great way to build teamwork among my Physical Education Leaders. We were so motivated by the challenge that we were able to work hard and succeed. When we won first place we donated the money to the second-place team, Carle Place High School. We believed it was the right thing to do to assist their cause of raising money for a local 2-year-old girl suffering from a rare blood condition.”
Sharon Zovich
Physical Education Leadership Program
Valley Stream North High School
“In the 2022-23 school year we held our second annual “Digging For Gold” event where all profits when to “MSK Kids”, a charity that benefits Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Pediatric Unit.
After hearing the news that one of my peers Richard had been diagnosed with cancer, I knew the Golden Canes and I would turn our charity efforts towards him and his family. Since Richard was an athlete himself, we took the opportunity to enter the Team Up 4 Community L.I. Sports Hero Challenge and showcase our Digging For Gold event as a way to raise money for him and his family. With our winning grant, we were able to help Richard’s family pay for medical expenses as well as personal purchases to help bring back the joy in his life through these difficult times.“
Sydney Anastasia
Senior Volleyball Player
Westhampton Beach High School
“We were thrilled to win a grant from TEAM UP FOR COMMUNITY! The athletes were so proud and could feel the community supporting them as they voted for us in the L.I. Sports Heroes Challenge!
Getting involved with this organization united our parents, our athletes, and the community that supported them.
Your grant enabled us to bring so many students and residents together!
Thank you so much for all you did for us and for so many across Long Island. YOU really do make a positive difference in the lives of so many!!
They say "IT TAKES A VILLAGE" and we could ALL feel it, thanks to you!”
Donna and Doug Roenbeck
Longwood Positive Athletic Works
Longwood High School
