Student members of Valley Stream North High School’s Physical Education Leadership Program took second place in a viral video contest hosted by a local nonprofit organization. Team Up 4 Community, an organization sponsored by nutritional supplement manufacturer NBTY’s charity arm “Helping Hands,” held its L.I. Spring Sports Heroes Video Challenge, a contest that encourages students involved in athletics to document their volunteer work and share it to inspire their peers.
The PE Leadership Program at North High School spent an entire day stocking the pantries and helping out at the Interfaith Nutrition Network (INN) in Hempstead. The students put together a 44 second clip of their work, explaining the INN’s purpose and how they were able to help give back to their community. The
video was uploaded to Team Up 4 Community’s website and put up for a voter drive where it competed against dozens of other schools for one of three prizes.
On May 27, the students were presented a check for $1,500 for earning the second-most votes and the video is now hosted on Team Up 4 Community’s channel on YouTube. The PE Leadership Program’s director Sharon Zovich was at the presentation to accept the check, along with North High School Principal Cliff Odell. “The significant piece to this effort is that student leaders were able to share their experiences volunteering out in the community. Our hope, and that of TeamUp4Community is that there is a ripple effect so others will get themselves more involved in community service,” Odell said.
The PE Leadership Program plans to donate a portion of their winnings to the third-place winner of the contest: Carle Place High School’s Key Club, who hosted a fashion show to raise funds for a local 2-year-old girl suffering from a condition that causes low platelet counts.
Team Up 4 Community was founded by former New York Islander Steve Webb and his wife, Teresa Webb, to promote Long Island athletics through various charity and outreach efforts. Throughout the year the nonprofit organization sponsors contests and awards prizes to groups of students making a difference on
Long Island.
Photo Caption: Valley Stream North High School members of the Physical Education Leadership Program, along with their advisor, Sharon Zovich and their principal, Cliff Odell, were presented a check for $1,500 by Team Up 4 Community’s Steve and Teresa Webb (left), and members of NBTY’s charity arm “Helping Hands” Marialice Dunphy and Gerard Battaglia (right).
Photo courtesy of the Valley Stream Central High School District
