D3 Week Day 2: AMCC STUDENT-ATHLETES ASSIST IN THEIR COMMUNITIES

Posted: Apr 05, 2022

After a difficult two years of dealing with the covid-19 pandemic and not being able to get out in the local communities, the AMCC student-athletes have stepped it up in 2021-22 to once again give back to their local commuity members in a big way.

The Alfred State College athletic department participated in numerous community service projects this academic year. Pioneer student-athletes participated in the Alfred Community Cleanup where student-athletes walked through the town of Alfred and the campus community and picked up garbage. The student-athletes also raked leaves at Alfred Community Church, shoveled out homes after a big winter storm, participated in the Foodlink Food Drive, and assisted with a blood drive. The athletic department also participated in Pioneer Pride Day where student-athletes did maintenance on athletic fields like weeding, painting, etc. The Pioneers also worked some of the area's youth with a wrestling clinic, clothing drive, and sponsoring local familes during the Christmas holiday, while also spending time with some of the boys and girls at the Hornell Area Concerned for Youth.

The Hilbert College men’s basketball team continues to provide support in the local community by hosting its annual Hawks Against Hunger Tip-Off Tournament and through the participation in the Celebration of Reading program hosted by the Frontier Elementary School. For the 11th year, the Hawks have presented non-perishable food, socks, and financial donations to the Buffalo City Mission to assist with the November and December holiday programing offered for the unhoused population in Buffalo. The coaching staff returned to Frontier Elementary School in March and read a book to the class titled Be A Good Teammate (written by Lance Loya the former Mount Aloysius men’s basketball head coach) which is a children's book that teaches kids the importance of teamwork and the three undisputable characteristics of good teammates.

The La Roche University men's basketball team volunteered at the Charlie Batch Foundation. Redhawk players helped boxup toys and took them to storage sites in preperation for Christmas in 2022. The toys are from the "Batch of Toys" program that takes place during the holiday season. The La Roche women's volleyball team traveled to Saint Croix to not only participate in a match, but also to help with a clean up project. Through the Saint Croix Environmental Association the team was able to receive the amazing opportunity to give back, and to help clean up the beach at Southgate Coastal Reserve. The athletes removed hundreds of garbage that would damage the wildlife, as well as the cleanliness of the beach for visitors.

The Medaille College athletic department has conducted multiple community service projects throughout the year. During the fall, the softball team volunteered at Orchard Park Community Activity Center for their Halloween Spook-Tacular event, while the men’s and women’s basketball volunteered at Feed More of Western NY to help those in need. The women’s volleyball team conducted a Breast Cancer Awareness Game, while the men's volleyball team hosted a clinic for a group of developmental 15U boys. The Medaille SAAC hosted a Toys 4 Tots collection and are planning a park clean-up for May 1^st. Coming up this spring, the Maverick golf team is going to pack and donate Grab-and-Go bags for the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo. They plan to pack them sometime during the week of March 21-25 and deliver them soon after. Families spend long difficult days at the hospital. The Medaille men’s golf team will personalize snack bags for a midday “pick me up” and drop them off at the RMH of Buffalo.

Many of the athletics teams at Mount Aloysius College also participated in several community service projects throughout the year. The men's basketball team ran PE classes at All Saints for all of the age groups, while also teaching them basketball skills and showing them drills. The women's basketball team participated in the Cambria County Walk to End Alzheimer's, while the baseball team assisted with Project Bundle Up and the men's soccer team volunteered their time at the Lilly Mtn Alpaca Farm. The Mountie women's volleyball team volunteered at Windber High School, teaching over 100 kids how to play volleyball and showing them drills. The women's volleyball team also hosted a Pink Out Game for Breast Cancer Awareness. The softball team helped with a spaghetti dinner that benefitted Ben Blessed, an outreach program for the homeless. The Mountie lacrosse team raised $500 and donated supplies to Operation Support Our Troops. Lastly, the Mount Aloysius SAAC ran a food drive in November and donated the supplies to St Vincent DePaul Food Pantry in Cresson. Almost every Mountie team participated in the food drive.

Penn State Altoona has completed service this semester by collecting hats, gloves, socks & scarves through their annual SAAC for Socks drive, which were donated to a local church. The Lions have also sponsored food collection games for the Mountain Lion Backpack Program and hosted a pediatric cancer awareness game. The Penn State Altoona athletic department partnered with the Central PA Autism Awareness Group at their Grinch-themed Christmas party, and they also plan to hold an autism awareness baseball game in April.

The Penn State Behrend baseball team once again supported alum, Ryan Smith, and Grady's Decision this past winter by participating in a NO SHAVE November and December. Grady's Decision was created to help families experiencing premature births as well as those families with children needing specialized medical attention. Grady's Decision can assist with parking costs, food, housing and transportation needs.

Pitt-Bradford’s SAAC and athletics department worked with multiple different service organizations in 2021-22. Around the holidays, SAAC completed two service projects aimed at helping the local community. They started by putting together 10 Thanksgiving baskets which were donated to the local YWCA and distributed to those in need. For Christmas, SAAC helped raise donations for Pitt-Bradford’s ELF Fund which purchased 12 Christmas gifts for less fortunate children and families in the community. The Panther swim programs also aided in running the 2022 Special Olympics Swimming Invitational, which was held on campus in March.

The Pitt-Greensburg women's basketball team took time out of their Christmas Break to go to a local store and ring the bell for the Salvation Army. The whole team participated and spent a couple hours with the Salvation Army volunteers.