Outreach & Community Service

The student-athletes of Abilene Christian University sponsored a “Sports Day” that invited Abilene area Boys and Girls Clubs to the campus of ACU to participate in a day of athletics. The groups were divided into teams and assigned student-athletes to be their coaches. Throughout the day, the children rotated through various clinics learning the fundamentals of each sport. The activities culminated with a relay race, followed by a pizza lunch and snow cones. The children were then treated to a Wildcat softball game and track meet going on at adjacent fields. ACU student-athletes were also actively involved in many individual service projects such as Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters Club, Boys and Girls Clubs, Make-A-Wish Foundation, local schools, mission trips, and area church youth groups and their activities. Team projects included Adopt-A-Highway, Lunch Buddy, Special Olympics and more. In total, the Wildcats community efforts involved approximately 350 Abilene area youth.

Adelphi University hosted a number of outreach events during 2007-08. Cans for Cancer is their most successful. The Panthers collected recyclable bottles and cans on campus and donated the proceeds to the Winthrop University Hospital Kids with Cancer Center. Through CHAMPS and SAAC, Adelphi student-athletes read to elementary school children as part of READ ACROSS AMERICA and donated their time through various sport specific camps and clinics. They also worked with the local Salvation Army and participated in the annual toy drive to wrap and sort gifts for children of families in need. In addition, the student-athletes collected toiletries at all home basketball games to donate to families in need and presented more than five boxes of items that are deemed “luxury items” by the state, such as toilet paper and soap and aren’t covered by government assistance. Adelphi hosted a Bingo Night with proceeds going to the Livestrong foundation. Last year, the Athletic Department started its Think Pink campaign in honor of the wife of a former coach. Monies raised in excess of $6,000 were donated to the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline and Support Program. Every team participated by donating baskets to be raffled as well as selling t-shirts and pink wristbands. These projects combined with the efforts of individual teams made a positive impact on the lives of about 300 New York youth.

All Augusta State Jaguars participate in J.A.G.S. Week (Jaguar Athletes Giving Service) which occurs one week each in both the Fall and Spring Semesters. Ran by the SAAC, the student-athletes visited all sorts of venues from elementary schools to elderly residences. They read at local schools, visited hospitals and volunteered their services to various causes in the community. All athletic teams raised at least $100 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation for an overall contribution of more than $1,000. Many Jaguars also have individual charities and causes that they support including the American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, American Heart Association, Breast Cancer Think Pink Campaign, and Take Back the Night. In addition to the approximate 3,000 youth worked with by the Jaguars, the Augusta State Athletic Department gave away an additional 1,500 tickets as social and academic incentives to non-profits such as the First Tee Program, Boys and Girls Club, Parks and Recreation, as well as schools, and youth and church organizations.

Since 2005, Benedictine College has modeled their department around the five key values of the NAIA’s Champions of Character Program: respect, integrity, responsibility, servant leadership and sportsmanship. In 2007-08, the Ravens were successful in implementing all five elements in their community service through elementary school events, reading programs, mentoring programs, speaking engagements, cancer fundraisers and sports clinics.

Each year Boise State’s student-athletes take time to give back to the Boise community. Community engagement is formally recognized through the BroncoLIFE Team Competition. This segment of the competition recognizes the relationships between the Athletic Department, campus, and local communities. Boise State welcomes every opportunity to return the support the community extends to their athletic programs. This interaction fosters a strong society while developing personal integrity, responsibility, and respect for self and others. Points are earned based on percentage of team community service hours completed from service protocol. Each student-athlete is encouraged to volunteer a minimum of six hours per academic year. During 2007-08, the Broncos volunteered over 2,000 hours to the community, reaching over 2,000 youth. Events included YMCA Fitness Day, Jump Rope for Heart, Respect Week with Fruitland Middle School, Read Across America, Lift Up America, Bronco Youth Day, a food drive, Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Serving Up Wishes Dinner, and First Tee.

The Bears of Bridgewater State sponsored and staffed the 14th Annual South Sectional Aquatics Meet for the Special Olympics, participated in Care Packs for the Troops that sent over 200 packages to the soldiers in the Middle East, walked in the annual Breast Cancer Walk in Boston, hosted camps and clinics for area youth, collected Christmas presents and monetary donations for a local homeless shelter, and donated time and money to a local soup kitchen. Their efforts totaled to impact the lives of more than 250 youth. Crews of student-athletes also helped to clean up the campus. The Athletic Department also sponsored “Take a Kid to the Game” promotions for football and basketball where adults received reduced admission if they had a child with them.

CSUDH Athletics participated in nearly 70 community outreach events in 2007-08, reaching over 7,000 youth. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), along with 20 other student-athletes, coaches and staff collected and delivered toys to children at the UCLA Harbor Medical Center during the Christmas holiday season for the fourth-consecutive year. SAAC also coordinated a Bowl-A-Thon which raised funds for National Junior Achievement and volunteered at the Los Angeles Food Bank during the holidays as well as joining Carson Mayor Jim Dear in distributing turkeys to the poor and elderly in the surrounding community. SAAC hosted a talent show which benefitted the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Forty-five student-athletes were recognized by the NCAS as part of the 21st Annual National STUDENT-Athlete Day, commemorating excellence in the classroom, competition and in the community. The Toros were also highly involved in Reviving Baseball in Inner-Cities (RBI) and MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton, CA; National Education Association “Read Across America” Day; Digs 4 Kids Foundation at Carson High School; mentoring, tutoring and free clinics at several local elementary schools and the Boys & Girls Club of Carson; City of Carson career days for underprivileged youth; participation with Soccer for Hope (a non-profit pediatric cancer foundation); South Bay Athletic Club; Gardena Evening Optimist Club; Torrance & Carson-Dominguez Rotary Club; Kiwanis Club of Carson; and various events with the Torrance, Carson & Harbor City-Harbor Gateway Chambers.

Cal State Fullerton student-athletes were involved in a number of community service projects during the 2007-08 academic year including the Big West Conference Coin Drive, a Holiday Toy Drive for the local Boys and Girls Club, and a visit to the Orangewood Children’s Home, a facility that shelters Orange County children who were the victims of abuse, neglect and abandonment. The Titans also participated in a program called “I’ll Tell 2.” I’ll Tell 2 is a simple, yet effective way to inform women about the importance of getting screened for Breast Cancer, developed by Associate Head Women’s Basketball coach, Marcia Foster. Each student-athlete who chose to be involved was asked to attend a brief information session where Breast Cancer facts and figures were presented and I’ll Tell 2 promise cards and business cards were given out. Student-athletes made a commitment to tell two women about the importance of screening in hopes that over 1,000 women would be informed in the process. The Titans also displayed their talent through various free clinics to local Orange County youth.

Over 1,000 youth were positively impacted by the CSUN Matadors in 2007-08. The student-athletes served Granada Hills Elementary School through their reading program and served their Halloween Contest as celebrity judges. SAAC raised $1,200 to provide a Christmas to a special family through Adopt-A-Family. Student-athletes participated in a coin drive to benefit the Children’s Hunger Fund as well as an educational event to bring awareness to substance abuse issues through the Save a Life Tour.

The Canisius College student-athletes worked closely with their Campus Ministry office and participated in a number of volunteer opportunities each semester. During 2007-08, teams participated on a regular basis with local Meals on Wheels program, delivering meals to elderly people in the neighborhood surrounding the college. On a weekly basis, student-athletes visited two local Jesuit schools to do activities with children after school. Additionally, they participated in Habitat for Humanity several times a semester and Canisius Community Days, where students go to different locations around the city to do various jobs such as helping at soup kitchens, cleaning up parks, tree planting, and painting. In addition to the 100 youth the student-athletes worked with, the Athletic Department provided over 2,000 tickets to Golden Griffin games.

The Falcon student-athletes of Daytona State participated in a variety of service activities both on campus and community based. They collected money and participated the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk, collected food for the WESH Share Your Christmas food drive, invited community members to visit Santa at a home basketball game in conjunction with a food drive, started the first annual Jr. Falcon Reading Program at their on campus Child Development Lab School, invited the Boys and Girls Club of Volusia County and area teams to a home basketball game, participated in Support Our Troops by sending care packages, made Valentine’s Day cards for special needs group, and participated in the Martin Luther King Day celebration walk.

Drake student-athletes participated in a variety of community service activities during the 2007-08 academic year reaching thousands of area youth. The men’s basketball team visited the local children’s hospital to cheer up young patients. The football team visited the same hospital, along with hosting a Community Day where local children had a “play date” with the members of the team on the football field. The children participated in a variety of games and activities with the players. The men’s soccer team continued a tradition of volunteering their time to put on free soccer clinics to the youth of Des Moines. The SAAC participated in a book drive delivering boxes of books to the local Planned Parenthood organization. In addition, many student-athletes participated in the Character Counts seminar on campus.

All sports represented Drexel Dream Day where 1,000 inner-city youth from 16 elementary schools (3-5th grade) were invited to campus. All sports were also represented at the one-day blood drive where nearly 1,000 people came to donate. The Lung Cancer Awareness fundraiser, Squash Smarts Mentoring program, Toys for Tots, Sneaker Drives and CAN DU Clean Up of Fairmont Park were all participated in by each Drexel team. Men’s wrestling was especially instrumental in lifting and removing very heavy rubbish and wildlife in the Can DU Clean Up. Wrestling also helped load turkeys into trucks for distribution for the Alumni Relations Turkey Drive. Women’s basketball student-athletes visited middle school youth to talk about healthy life style choices and the benefits of athletics as a complement to educational experience. The men’s lacrosse team continued the tradition of coaching lacrosse to elementary and middle school students. The student-athletes guided children from three schools teaching lacrosse several days a week for a couple hours a day. On six separate weekends, the men’s and women’s crew teams worked with Back on My Feet Philly, a non-profit organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of Philadelphia’s homeless population by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. Other teams participated in many fundraisers for a variety of causes. Overall, the Drexel Dragons spent many hours in the Philadelphia community and worked with approximately 1,200 youth.

Five hundred Duke student-athletes across 26 teams participated in a combined effort of more than 4,000 community service hours during the 2007-08 year. Some highlights and projects include the Verizon Read With Blue Devils, Duke Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Camp Kaleidoscope, Urban Ministries Soup Kitchen, Durham Rescue Mission, Oxford Housing Authority, “Make A Difference Day” in Durham, Special Olympics, and Angels Among Us 5K. In its 16th year, the Read With Blue Devils Program provided various reading level incentive prizes to Durham Elementary Schools and student-athletes visited each participating schools one time a semester to read books and interact with 3rd and 4th grade classrooms. After reading stories and sharing the importance of literacy, student-athletes engage in Q & A which always leaves the children smiling. Men’s and women’s lacrosse as well as women’s basketball made numerous visits to the Ronald McDonald House cooking meals for and interacting with families as a team. In February alone, the men’s lacrosse team contributed a combined total of about 300 hours with the Duke Children’s Radio Thon. Men’s basketball student-athletes and staff visited Duke Children’s Hospital in January, as well as continued their tradition of supporting and participating in Duke Children’s Classic in May. For another year, SAAC helped coordinate numerous athletes working at the Soup Kitchen on weekend mornings serving meals and helping with pantry stocking and cleaning. The baseball team and members of men’s golf spent the day helping clean up Lyon’s Park, as part of National Make a Difference Day. The Blue Devils tremendous impact on their community involved more than 15,000 members of the Durham area.

The Saints of Emmanuel College lived up to their nickname in the Boston community. Student-athletes hosted two blood drives, soccer clinics, and basketball clinics. Student-athletes also volunteered with the Juvenile Diabetes Walk and Breast Cancer Walk, Walk for the Cure, Brian Honan Memorial Road Race, and the Boston Marathon. With their hands-on work in the community and their donation of 200 game tickets, the Emmanuel student-athletes interacted with approximately 1,000 Boston area youth.

Fairfield community service projects included Relay for Life, elementary school reading programs, food drives, Letters to Soldiers, Girl Scouts Day, soup kitchens, and many sports clinics. The SAAC Committee and all student-athletes participated in Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. Every female student-athlete participated in a breast cancer walk. In addition, all student-athletes volunteered with READ ALOUD, a program for elementary school children throughout Fairfield and Bridgeport Counties. Fairfield Athletics also did Rake and Bake in Brookfield, a food drive for soldiers, letter writing for soldiers, as well as a Thanksgiving food drive, all of which were sponsored by the SAAC. Several teams also participated in many clinics throughout Fairfield and Bridgeport Counties and individual student-athletes volunteered with soup kitchens and Hunger Clean-Up. Overall, the Fairfield University student-athletes reached out to over 11,000 youth in their local communities.

Throughout the 2007-08 academic year, FIU student-athletes participated in a variety of community service programs. Student-athletes from golf, swimming, football, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and soccer visited children with various illnesses including terminally ill patients and those recovering from surgery at Baptist Children’s Hospital. Student-athletes signed autographs, posed for pictures, and spent time talking to the children and their families. The men’s soccer team visited the Greenhouse of Orchid Mania, an all-volunteer group of amateur orchid growers who use their hobby to raise money for grassroots AIDS organizations. The organization was started because Miami-Dade County has the second highest AIDS infection rate in the country. The team cleaned up inside the greenhouse and around it. In February 2008, every member of each sport participated in the Relay for Life-American Cancer Society. Relay for Life raises money by sponsoring a fun-filled overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raised money for research and programs of the American Cancer Society. The athletes raised over $2,000 for this event through bake sales, car washes, and raffles. The student-athletes efforts made a lasting impact in the Miami area, with 2,000 lucky youth community members in particular.

Serving the community is the focus of the Seminole Spirit program. During the 2007-08 academic year, Florida State student-athletes committed to approximately 3,500 hours of community service, reaching over 60,000 youth through campus-wide, regional and national outreach programs. Student-athletes helped build a playground for an elementary school, ran across the state in the Across the State Relay, participated in the Relay for Life through donations and collections, and inspired children with disabilities through the Able Trust Youth Forum by encouraging them to become leaders despite the challenges they may face. Seminole student-athletes also read classic childhood stories during Read Across America, encouraged youth to pledge to be Drug Free during Red Ribbon Week and once again FSU Athletics teamed up with the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida to hand out vouchers to purchase books at book fairs for students in under-performing schools.

The George Mason Patriots shared their time with over 1,000 community members through reading programs, National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Kicks for Cancer and Turn off the Violence Week just to name a few. All sports teams participated in the CAA Blood Drive Challenge and the 5K Fun Run/Walk for Victims Rights, which was also held in honor of former student-athlete Aimee Willard.

During the 2007-08 school year, the student-athletes at Georgia State University participated in a variety of community service projects. The school year started with the annual CAA Blood Challenge. The one-day Blood Challenge had more than 270 units of blood collected. Over the fall season, a number of teams visited classrooms across the metro-Atlanta area. The visits included helping with tutoring, a fall festival and encouraging young students to understand the importance of education. Over the holiday season, the student-athletes partnered with Auxiliary Services on campus to host the Georgia State University Toys for Tots Drive. The lady members of the student-athlete population helped celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day with a Go Girl Go! Clinic. The clinic took place after a women’s basketball game and included a putting session, cheering, soccer, and running stations for girls from 5th to 8th grade. In Spring 2008, the SAAC helped organize the first annual Shoe Drive that brought in over 150 pairs of shoes. Throughout the school year, the student-athletes and coaches continued to visit schools and community organizations assisting with an after-school fitness clinic, classroom tutoring sessions and sports clinics. Over the summer, the community service continued by hosting different sports clinics for the Atlanta After School All-Stars.

Every athletic team at Iona College participated in some form of community service during the 2007-08 academic year. Community service projects included, but were not limited to, the following: Light the Night Walk, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, Sound Shore Medical Center Holiday Toy Drive, Thanksgiving Food Baskets for the Needy, Glen Island Park Clean-Up, Habitat for Humanity and Albert Leonard Middle School Career Day. In addition to many other projects, the SAAC and the Iona softball team volunteered with Hands Around Iona to help raise money to help fund schools in Zambia. The Gaels’ caring efforts benefited about 2,000 youth in their community.

La Salle University Athletics have continued their partnership with Logan Elementary School. During 2007-08, 70 La Salle University student-athletes were matched with students from Logan Elementary. The Explorers also worked with Logan Elementary through the Adopt-a-School Program. Each team spent two afternoons at Logan Elementary School. The first day was spent teaching the fundamentals of their respective sport and the second day was spent tutoring and mentoring the elementary school students. On March 15th, alongside the Alumni Association, student-athletes from the lacrosse, soccer and golf teams helped plant trees with the Oak Lane Tree Tenders. Individual teams participated in other events including the Big 5 Clean-Up, sports clinics, mentoring and tutoring sessions, and toy and food drives. The La Salle Athletic Department had participation by 85 percent of all its student-athletes for a total of over 10,000 hours of community service which reached in excess of 16,000 community members.

Lehigh Athletics C.O.A.C.H. Program (Community Outreach by Athletes who Care about Helping) is headed by two student-athlete co-chairs who are supported by a committee of 12 elected members from the student-athlete body and is overseen by an athletics staff advisor. In 2007-08, the program was comprised of 211 student-athletes who actively participated in a range of 22 programs and events. Through several of these events, the program was able to donate to Colon Cancer Research, Dreams Come True, Breast Cancer and Multiple Sclerosis. In total, the COACH Program raised more than $31,000 to charities. The efforts of the Lehigh’s student-athletes led to 750 hours of community service and over 5,076 children whose lives were touched and changed for the better. In an effort to reach out to as many children as possible and provide them with knowledge and guidance about important issues such as drugs, alcohol and education, Lehigh’s student-athletes performed the COACH Program at area elementary, middle and high schools. The student-athletes either present at an assembly or a classroom. The most rewarding COACH Program event is the holiday service project Adopt-A-Family. For the ninth year in a row, the COACH Program adopted less fortunate families from the Bethlehem area. In 2007-08, 19 families reaped the benefits of personal and emotional connections with the Lehigh student-athletes in addition to the gifts and foods purchased and delivered to them by the student-athletes. The COACH Program allows the Lehigh student-athletes to grow and mature into responsible and caring community members, students and athletes.

Most outreach and community service programs at Lesley University are tied in with SAAC or are individual athletes seeking out service opportunities with the LU Community Service Office. The more comprehensive projects for the 2007-08 year through SAAC was the Community Outreach Night at Men’s and Women’s Basketball and the Dana Farber Night. These were exciting events that drew a crowd increase of 150 percent. Other individual outreach events were: Alternative Spring Break, Habitat for Humanity, Community Arts Center, Tutoring Plus at the Margaret Fuller House, Home for Little Wanderers, Breast Cancer Research Pancake Breakfast, and a running partnership with the Threshold Program.

During the 2007-08 academic year, Long Beach State student-athletes helped the local community in a variety of ways. Namely, the 49ers volunteered with Beach Clean-Ups, Air Power Games for Asthmatic Children, the Long Beach Marathon, mentoring of freshman, and the Jog-A-Thon at Mine Gant Elementary School. The student-athletes also collected donations with a Coin Drive for the Big West Conference for Breast Cancer and Cherish the Children Toy Drive. In addition, the Athletic Department donated 1,500 game tickets to the Boys and Girls Clubs, elementary schools, YMCAs and Big Brother/Big Sister Programs bringing the total number of youth impacted up to 4,000 in the Long Beach area.

The LSU student-athletes collaborated for 2,632 hours in the community during 2007-08, totaling for 5,000 local youth whose lives were bettered by the Tigers. Over 50 student-athletes teamed up with alum Shaquille O’Neal to build Polk Elementary School a new playground. Other community events included hospital visits, school appearances, Habitat for Humanity, several charitable walks/runs, a food drive, and telethons. The softball team participated in a Mardi Gras Parade for the residents of St. Clare Nursing home, after which they met and visited the residents. Members of the gymnastic and baseball teams participated in the Literacy Night at River Oaks Elementary where they read Dr. Seuss books to students and their parents who came to the event in the pajamas. Twenty members of the football team joined Ohio State student-athletes in New Orleans to help rebuild a Boys and Girls Club Center the day before the BCS National Championship Game in January. Each team participated in the Halloween BOOzar where area children were invited to trick-or-treat at LSU and participated in games and activities with the athletes.

The Lynn University student-athletes generously gave their time to community service activities that stretched across Florida and even into Texas. The student-athletes honored their local Boca Raton Fire Department on September 11; collected and delivered school supplies to a local elementary school; ran clinics for organizations and community members; prepared gifts for and hosted a holiday party for The Children’s Place at Home Safe; as well as several hospital visits, school appearances, and walks/runs participation. The Make-A-Wish Foundation received great help from Lynn Athletics as they hosted a family and threw a social in their honor, as well as fundraising for the foundation in general. Their efforts stretched as far as Houston, Texas where 21 student-athletes helped build a home for hurricane victims with Habitat for Humanity. Together, the student-athletes logged 1,600 hours of gracious outreach.

The Red Foxes of Marist College interacted with approximately 3,400 youth in their local community through many outreach projects. During the fall of 2007, the student-athletes visited elementary schools, assisted the Special Olympics, volunteered with Meals on Wheels, participated in several walk/runs for different causes, dressed up for Halloween for a festive hospital visit and donated supplies and money to a canned food drive, school supply drive and Christmas toy drive. Their charitable efforts continued in the spring of 2008 with many of the same projects. They also added a Girl Scout Clinic, a toiletry drive, a blood drive and a softball clinic. In addition, many student-athletes volunteered individually on and around campus.

The Roadrunners softball team paired with Denver Public High Schools in a mentoring program. All of the student-athletes helped with a Denver Nuggets Open Practice at Metro which involves busing hundreds of elementary school children to see the Nuggets. During the 2007-08 academic year, most of the teams provided youth clinics. The women’s basketball team made long-term commitments to a high school basketball league that they ran during the fall. The athletic department ran a Think Pink game during basketball season to raise funds for Breast Cancer Research. The SAAC also ran a 3-on-3 basketball tournament to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In all, the Roadrunners worked with over 1,000 youth in the Denver area.

The Spartans of Michigan State made a tremendous impact on the field and in the community during 2007-08 while their outreach projects reached out to approximately 200,000 youth in the Lansing area. The student-athletes gave many hours to The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk, Special Olympics, Read Words of Wisdom, Teddy Bear Picnic, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Shoot for a Cure, and Super Spartan Sunday among others. The Spartans also gave a helping hand to many fundraisers, community events and elementary school programs.

The various community and social events that the Monmouth student-athletes participated in during the 2007-08 academic year were the Manasquan Autism Walk, the Autism Awareness Basketball Clinic, Special Olympics, Scroth School Gift Giving, Relay for Life, School for Children 5K Run, Monmouth County Food Bank Turkey Delivery, National Livestrong Day Soccer Clinic and Think Pink for breast cancer awareness. The Hawks also volunteered with Ocean County Food Bank’s Canned Food Drive and Clean Ocean Action’s Beach Clean-up as well as wrapped gifts for the Monmouth County Big Brothers/Big Sisters Organization. Their efforts combined to better the lives of approximately 2,250 New Jersey youth.

Many of the outreach and service programs participated in by the Blue Raiders in 2007-08 include but are not limited to: Read to Succeed, Jump Rope for the Heart, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Scouts, and the Arthritis Foundation. En route to donating about 4,000 hours of community service the student-athletes also mentored middle school kids, visited a retirement home, made hospital visits and held clinics for local youth.

During 2007-08, the Pilgrims of NEC participated in numerous outreach and community activities. One of the greatest things they did says, Assistant Athletic Trainer Rebecca Gregoire, “was partner together to achieve more.” The women’s lacrosse and softball teams organized a run for the troops where the entry fee was items for the troops. The men’s and women’s basketball teams ran their 6th Annual Junior Gym Grime Saturday morning activities which brought in numerous youngsters. The women’s ice hockey team did everything from helping the local library to assisting with a rabies clinic.

The SAAC at NJIT organized a number of community service events including charity walks in the Newark area, soup kitchen visits, toy collections around the holidays, and a 24-hour Relay for Life event benefiting the Make A Wish Foundation. In addition, individual teams participated in community service projects such as used eye glass and coin collections. Between outreach events and donated game tickets for youth community groups, the Highlanders impacted the lives of 350 youth.

All 17 teams participated in community service projects during the fall semester of 2007-08 academic year reaching more than 500 youth. All 300 student-athletes were seen in one of the two local community parades. The SAAC organized an Adopt-A-Family program over the Christmas holiday. Teams were assigned a family from Niagara Falls, created a care package filled with food, gifts, and clothes for each family member and delivered it to their homes. The SAAC also sponsored a poster and essay contest at all local elementary and middle school aged children in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day during the spring semester. The two winners were honored at a women’s ice hockey game. Every team assisted fundraising for the Boys and Girls Club. In addition, each team took the initiative to get involved in a community service project of their own such as meeting the needs of local churches, participating in community clean-up projects, hosting toy drives, and raising funds for various causes.

During the 2007-08 academic year, the NC State student-athletes reached out to over 6,000 youth. Several student-athletes participated in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program where they mentored a local child by helping them with their homework, talking about life experiences, playing games and just providing encouragement. Other NC State student-athletes visited local elementary and middle schools to talk and promote the eight character traits of courage, good judgment, integrity, kindness, perseverance, respect, responsibility and self-discipline. In October 2007, the student-athletes hosted their first Athletes with Talent Show to raise money for the Frankie Lemmon School and Development Center which serves 3-6 year olds with developmental disabilities in Wake County. NC State was one of two southeast colleges chosen to host a concert to raise awareness about the genocide happing in Darfur. The concert was sponsored by Frank Harrison, CEO of Coca-Cola Bottling in Charlotte. The $3,000 in proceeds were donated to UNICEF.

The Argonauts of Notre Dame de Namur reached out to their Northern California community through the St. Matthews Parish Adopt-A-Family Program, hosting youth basketball tournaments and other efforts that totaled involvement with 300 youth.

The Tigers of Occidental College hosted youth basketball clinics for the local YMCA and a local orphanage, as well as softball clinics and a Girl Scout Day clinic. Other student-athletes volunteered with Relay for Life, a Cancer Awareness Swim Relay and a community music festival. Their charitable efforts combined to reach 250 local youth.

In keeping with the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program commitment to service learning projects and outreach, numerous student-athletes and teams at The Ohio State University participated in community service activities throughout the 2007-08 academic year. Some of their causes included the Boys and Girls Clubs of Columbus, Mid-Ohio Food Bank, ScholARTS Preparatory Academy, Second and Seven Foundation, Life Line of Ohio, Columbus Public Schools, and the James Cancer Center.

Oklahoma State University Cowboys and Cowgirls participated in a number of outreach and community service programs in 2007-08. Many participated in the national Read Across America program, and their local “Reading Buddies Elementary” program. Over 75 student-athletes participated in the “Kids on Kampus” program, which is an annual event to celebrate the members of the OSU community. Student-athletes interacted with over 2,000 children by playing games or crafts. Cowboys and cowgirls raised funds for a local YMCA and UNICEF through a Halloween fundraiser. Their biggest fundraiser was held to raise money in support of women’s soccer and secondary education in Nairobi, Kenya. The event took place on International Women’s Day. The fundraiser was called “The Score for Sasja Scholarship Fund” which was created in 2002 in the name of the sister of one of OSU’s own athletes, soccer player Yolanda Odenyo. The event was organized by SAAC for Sasja Odenyo, who was a soccer standout at Florida International University before a tragic car accident ended her life in 2002. The men’s and women’s basketball players participated in a local church basketball summer camp for young kids who could not afford to go to any other basketball camps. These events and more totaled to impact the lives of about 7,500 Stillwater area youth.

Over 2007-08, the Penn State student-athletes were involved in a variety of personal development and community outreach efforts. Nearly three-quarters of the sports teams donated money and clothing and nearly 80 student-athletes hosted a Holiday Party for disadvantaged youth who are part of the Second Mile Program. The Gatorade Get 60 Program continued with Second Mile participants (ages 5-12). The program promoted activity and goal-setting to achieve the recommended 60 minutes of activity a day. Student-athletes were scheduled to visit the participant each Sunday for five weeks to introduce new activities, provide information about hydration and nutrition while encouraging the kids to achieve their dreams. Many Nittany Lions could be seen in the community through the reading program with elementary schools students and the Speaker’s Bureau with school children of all ages. Other Penn State events included the “Penn” Pal Program, the “Penn” Pal Carnival, a Dance Marathon in support of the Four Diamonds Fund, National STUDENT-Athlete Day celebrations and the Special Olympics. The student-athletes made an impact on the State College community by working with approximately 7,300 local youth.

While almost every Roadrunner team was involved in the community, the men’s baseball and women’s basketball teams were exceptionally active during 2007-08. The baseball team donated to the Toys for Tots Program, ran a food drive for Thanksgiving, walked one mile in women’s high heels to raise awareness of violence against women and raised money to prevent violence against women. The women’s basketball team supported a less fortunate family in Mahwah, New Jersey for the holidays, volunteered with the 1st Annual NNJIL Cheerleading Championship, raised funds for needy families through the Ronald McDonald House, and spoke and read to students at the Samuel L. Berliner School regarding college life. Other teams were involved in Locks for Love, Maria Auxiliadora (a Costa Rican orphanage), Relay for Life, and the Boy Scouts.

Student-athletes participated in community service by teaching underprivileged kids the games of soccer, having club and team nights at games, fundraising for the Make A Wish Foundation, and reading to and with elementary school students at local schools.

Rutgers University student-athletes participated in community service and outreach programs throughout the year. Many coaches organized community service projects for their teams and many individual student-athletes participated on their own in outreach activities. The SAAC sponsored a Holiday Toy and Book Drive to benefit the local Head Start programs that collected enough toys and books to serve over 600 children. On National Reading Day, during the national Read Across America celebration, and generally throughout the year, 100 student-athletes read to elementary school students in the University’s locale. Rutgers student-athletes conducted a raffle of Rutgers gear and tickets to raise money en route to collect $1,430 for the Special Olympics of New Jersey. All football student-athletes from the New Jersey area went to their middle schools to speak to eighth graders on the importance of staying in school and choosing to attend college. In celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, student-athletes and coaches from the women’s track, lacrosse and gymnastics teams conducted a free clinic on the Rutgers campus for junior high school girls from New Brunswick. The attendees were given a National Girls and Women in Sports Day t-shirt and also invited to a women’s basketball game later that day. In addition, a small number of student-athletes worked with students ages 3-12 who have autism and special needs by assisting the physical education classes held at their school. Through the Challah Bread Foundation, the women’s tennis team delivered challah bread to cancer patients at a local hospital on a regular basis. The same team was also generous in donating tennis balls to the Alexander Graham Bell Society where the balls are used to eliminate noise interference for deaf children with Cochlear Implants by being placed on the legs of desks and chairs in the classrooms to minimize the scratching created by furniture movement.

St. Andrews athletics performed a variety of outreach and community service in 2007-08. Programs and activities of distinction include volunteering at the Therapeutic Horsemanship barn throughout the year assisting disabled youths; unloading Christmas trees for the Optimist Club sale; raising $8,000 for breast cancer research; collecting shoes for the needy; and participating in Habitat for Humanity. The baseball team adopted a local area of a highway and picked up trash during the year, assisted setup for activities at a local church and was involved in Relay for Life fundraiser with the wrestling team. These and other activities served approximately 3,700 youth.

The Huskies were in the St. Cloud community reading to elementary school students, hosting hockey and wrestling clinics, cleaning up the campus, volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club and participating in a Bowl-A-Thon. In addition, tickets were given away to high school students for being in the top 10 percent of their class. Approximately 1,600 local youth were directly impacted by the Huskies in 2007-08.

During the 2007-08 academic year, the Saint Francis University Athletic Department, which consists of 21 varsity programs, combined to have an incredibly effective and rewarding outreach experience. In September, each team donated numerous backpacks full of school supplies to the Joshua Project, to coincide with the University’s annual “Day of Reflection” event. The supplies were distributed to local school students to help them achieve success in the classroom, and ultimately helping those underprivileged families in the surrounding area. The men’s volleyball team, in particular, volunteered by painting the house of a local resident. The student-athletes also got into the holiday spirit, as they volunteered at the local church to serve over 1,400 turkey dinners to fundraise for individuals traveling to help with Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts. Numerous teams then adopted a family, helping to buy them gifts and toys during the Christmas season. Additionally, student-athletes combined their efforts and sent nearly 300 letters of support, holiday greetings and general well wishes to those troops fighting for America in the battlefields of Iraq. A major focus for the year was to increase the amount of daily physical fitness for the area’s young students, and the Saint Francis hosted clinics helped provide the skills, motivation, and knowledge to truly make a difference for a significant number of families and teams in the area. Many events and causes received the support of student-athletes and over $50,000 was raised to help fight cancer.

One hundred percent of all the St. John’s teams completed at least one community service event, totaling 1,543 hours of service in 2007-08. More than 45 student-athletes from eight different teams participated in St. John’s “Athletes Storming for a Cure” raising over $1,600 towards the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

Saint Joseph’s University student-athletes celebrated Martin Luther King Day by performing community service to local schools, churches and organizations in the Philadelphia area. Over 200 student-athletes volunteered their time to visit nursing homes, provide clean-up to churches and schools, and assist organizations in their daily administrative duties. In the second year of this event participation, student-athlete participation doubled from 100 to 200. The men’s and women’s basketball team hosted several clinics and volunteered with Hand in Hand, assisting mentally and physically handicapped children. The men’s and women’s soccer teams also hosted clinics while the softball team walked in Jake’s Run/Walk for Leukemia.

Seton Hall completed another successful year of their Pen Pal Program, in which student-athletes exchange biweekly letters with seventh-grade students from Saint Rose of Lima School in Newark, New Jersey. In addition, a good number of student-athletes participated in the SHU500+, which is a campus-wide community service effort. Over 1,000 volunteers work throughout the region in various community outreach locations in one day. Many Seton Hall student-athletes also contributed to the Boys and Girls Club of Newark’s Christmas Party at the Seton Hall School of Law. Several students also read to preschool children at a local Head Start program for Dr. Seuss’s birthday. The athletic department organized several fundraising efforts for the Mary Jennings Memorial Scholarship (established in memory a former Seton Hall student-athlete who lost a battle with cancer two years ago) and the Ryan Shay Scholarship Fund (in memory of the former Notre Dame track/field athlete who tragically passed away during the Olympic Marathon Trials this past November).

Over 1,500 Pennsylvania youth benefited from Shippensburg Athletics devotion to the community. The student-athletes participated in a 5K Run/Walk, a Christmas Giving Project, Race for the Cure, the DARE Program, Think Pink Campaign and elementary school reading programs among others.

“Milk and Cookies with the Mustangs,” a local reading program, was just one of many outreach activities sponsored by the SMU athletic department. Student-athletes were also active in National Women and Girls in Sports Day events, the Tour de Fleur marathon, Race for the Cure and more en route to serving 5,500 Dallas youth.

During 2007-08, Temple’s student-athletes participated in a number of community service activities, the biggest of which was the Partnership Field Day. Four elementary schools participated in Partnership Field Day where they were given the opportunity to participate in a five-hour event full of fun, yet unique, athletic experiences. The field day consisted of sports clinics in football, track, soccer, rowing and field hockey in addition to basketball tosses, jump rope and tug-a-war. The day culminated with Temple University Athletics committing to ongoing work with the visiting students. In the subsequent months, student-athletes visited classrooms, gave campus tours and helped facilitate leadership workshops to express the importance of being involved in sports, doing well in school and good sportsmanship. Individual teams worked with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Lupus Loop 5K, Friends of Jacklyn, Adopt-A-Family and other community events that impacted over 5,700 Philadelphia youth.

The major goal of Aggie Athletics Involved (AAI) is to positively impact the community by participation in programming designed to benefit the youth of the local and surrounding areas; to provide the opportunity for student-athletes to interact among sports other than their own and with other campus student groups and departments; and to help in community outreach programming at the high school, junior high and elementary school levels. Participating in community service projects is a means by which the Aggie student-athletes express their sincere thanks to the Brazos Valley for their support in athletic events. In 2007-08, the Aggies worked with nearly 12,000 youth in the area.

The student-athletes at TAMU-Kingsville helped collect canned foods for the local needy and underprivileged, collecting over one ton of food in 2007-08. They volunteered in the Kingsville community to clean up various locations throughout the city. The student-athletes also collected toiletries for the Kleberg County Women’s Shelter. Many student-athletes donated time to help with the Special Olympics, while still helping to raise over $1,000 for the Make A Wish Foundation. Student-athletes also attended local elementary schools to read stories and promote education while serving over 1,000 Kingsville area youth members.

TWU athletics sponsored and organized outreach programs with Denton Community Schools and Denton Youth Soccer in 2007-08. Pioneers visited schools and team practices to play with children and emphasize the positives of exercise, sports and healthy, active living. Being involved with the local children is something the student-athletes at TWU truly enjoy. In total, approximately 75 student-athletes combined to contribute over 1,600 hours of service during 2007-08. Some of the programs included Special Olympics, Hearts for Homes, Keep Denton Beautiful, Adopt-A-Child, local churches, and United Way of Denton. The American Heart Walk and various Holiday Gift programs were also popular events among the TWU student-athletes and staff.

The academic year of 2007-08 was a busy time for the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program at the University of Alabama, while they provided many programs and speakers to assist its student-athletes with their academic and personal lives. The Crimson Tide participated in over 3,300 hours of community outreach during that time. They took part in a variety of programs in the community from public speaking during “Red Ribbon Week,” to helping walk and socialize animals at the Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter. The student-athletes also headed several activities that helped the community. They held a canned food drive to benefit the West Alabama Food Bank and raised money for Project Angel Tree. The student-athletes continued with tradition by hosting a Halloween Extravaganza, which gives the kids in the community a safe Halloween. Even on their visits home, Alabama student-athletes took the time to help out in their communities. They contributed to their communities through activities such as helping clean up their local parks and volunteering at camps. No matter where they were, giving back to the community was a priority for the student-athletes of Alabama who served approximately 2,200 youth.

Student-athletes at the University of Arizona participated in various community service and outreach events throughout the year. The activities included public speaking, hospital visits, fundraisers, and other interactive activities. UA student-athletes worked with more than 80 different organizations to better the Tucson community. On a weekly basis, student-athletes visited schools around the community to talk to children about life as a collegiate athlete, the importance of academics, and making healthy life choices. During 2007-08, 73 percent of UA student-athletes participated in the community service program and members from every team were involved in outreach projects. They completed 2,349 hours of community service, reaching over 7,500 Tucson youth.

University at Buffalo student-athletes, coaches and staff are committed to community outreach and have developed a comprehensive outreach program that reaches across social and economical borders. The student-athletes are role models and vehicles for social change. The programs that Buffalo delivers are geared to bring promise to the communities that they serve and transform and empower families. With over 500 student-athletes, coaches and administrators who participated in community outreach initiatives this past year, they collectively conducted over 5,000 community service hours in the Western New York community. The Division of Athletics also provided over 3,500 free tickets through their Corporate Community Care Ticket Program which unites area businesses with charitable organizations and youth groups to provide individuals the opportunity to experience the excitement of attending a big-time college athletic event. The SAAC coordinated 16 community service projects including internal campus related projects and external community projects. Each of the 20 athletic teams also conducted at least one community service project during 2007-08 that positively impacted 2,500 youth. Some of the projects included hospital visits, mentoring and reading to elementary school children, Adopt-A-Family, Habitat for Humanity, Cooks for Kids, visits to senior citizen facilities, youth sports clinics, and the flagship Care Wears Program. Coaches and administrators also participated in the UB Athletics Speaker’s Bureau which is developed as a community outreach program to educate and share a wealth of information, knowledge and expertise and promote and heighten awareness of the many facets in NCAA Division I athletics. The service that the UB Athletic Department offers to the Western New York community continues to grow and provide a lasting impact on the lives of young people and families in their community.

The UC Davis student-athletes do a wide variety of community service projects and volunteer work individually, as teams, and as large groups. During 2007-08, the SAAC coordinated a number of projects including a Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless, a toy and sports equipment drive to benefit a local crisis nursery and a residential group home for disadvantaged boys, a collection of used athletic shoes to be sent overseas as part of UC Davis’ campus-wide international community service efforts, a conference-wide coin drive to support Sacramento Loaves & Fishes, a student-athlete charity talent show to benefit Special Olympics Northern California, and a sports day for local children. Other activities that were not coordinated by SAAC but individual sports teams included reading in school classrooms, visiting local hospitals and hosting fundraisers for community charities. The visits to local hospitals include Shriner’s Hospital for Children where a different sports team visited the children each month around a specific holiday. Between donated game tickets and the student-athletes’ time in the community, more than 5,550 lucky youth interacted with the Aggies.

Student-athletes, coaches and staff continued to volunteer their time to community events on campus and throughout the Los Angeles area this past year. These service opportunities gave student-athletes a chance to mentor youth, give back to the community and serve as ambassadors for UCLA athletics. Some of 2007-08’s activities included Marathon Kids, a clothing drive to benefit the Midnight Mission, elementary school activities and reading days, visits to Mattel Children’s Hospital, sports clinics, individual speaking engagements, Special Olympics, and Adopt-A-Classroom. Through UCLA’s “I’m Going to College” Program, thousands of local elementary, middle and high school students across Southern California were invited to a college fair at UCLA where the students speak with academic counselors and pick up information about questions they may have regarding education and preparing for college. Students also have the opportunity to get autographs from student-athletes and speak with current UCLA students. Other fun fair activities include carnival games, activity books, a deejay, community outreach booths, giveaways, and removable tattoos followed up by attendance into a UCLA competition. The program is offered throughout the year targeting different sporting events of football, women’s basketball, gymnastics, and track and field. Between “I’m Going to College” and the many other community interests of UCLA athletics, the student-athlete positively impacted an estimated 68,000 youth in Southern California.

UCSD Athletics is committed to actively participating in the community through a variety of outreach events and services. Student-athletes from 23 sports participated in a wide range of service and outreach programs in and around the San Diego area. For the fifth straight academic year, the Tritons worked with the “Team Up!” program which assists local elementary schools with the P.E. component of their curriculum. The Triton Athletes’ Council spearheaded two different department-wide community service activities during the 2007-08 year; the Holiday Adopt-A-Family program and the Make A Wish Foundation fundraiser. Triton student-athletes made the holidays brighter for 12 families in the San Diego area, providing a plethora of gifts, food, and holiday cheer. The Tritons also raised money to support the Make A Wish Foundation through a variety of events. In addition to the two department-wide projects above, the athletic department once again held a blood drive, where student-athletes, coaches and staff donated blood for the American Red Cross. Along with the department-wide programs in 2007-08, each team participated in at least one team outreach program including tennis, basketball, and rowing clinics as well as volunteering at disaster relief shelters, Row for the Cure, Race for the Cure, Adopt-A-Neighborhood and much more. Over 5,500 San Diego youth members directly benefited from the Tritons community efforts.

The UCF Golden Knights do a wide variety of community outreach activities each year. Some of the 2007-08 events included hospital visits, elementary school reading sessions, a heart walk, The Miracle League, and work with the Florida Children’s Home.

The Husky SAAC organize and participate in a number of different community service projects in and around the UConn community each year. During the 2007-08 academic year, the student-athletes organized and hosted food, book, coat and toy drives. They collected a full truckload of non-perishable foods for the Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic during the holiday season at two separate basketball games. Over 1,000 toys were collected for the Cornerstone Christmas Party for kids in Rockville-Vernon and The Village in Hartford during the holiday season. Before the cold weather arrived, coats were collected during a UConn football game, amounting to approximately 4,500 coats collected in the last three years to benefit different local organizations. A children’s book drive was held during two basketball games which benefited the Burgdorf-Fleet Health Center in Hartford, where student-athletes go and read to the patients while waiting to see the doctor. Other events that SAAC members spend time with children include the Catholic Worker House Service, where student-athletes help the students with homework and stress the importance of school and sports. In all, over 6,000 youngsters’ lives were touched by the Huskies who reached out to the community.

The mission of the University of Florida’s Athletic Association’s Goodwill Gators Community Outreach Program is to foster citizenship between staff, coaches, student-athletes and the greater Gainesville community. Through volunteerism, Goodwill Gators will encourage citizenship civic virtues, and how one should behave as part of a community; strengthen their commitment to the greater Gainesville and surrounding communities; and enhance the personal development of student-athletes. A brief list of the Gators’ community contributions include the Harvest Food Drive, Million Minutes of Reading, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Jump Rope for Heart, Adopt-A-Family, Sportsmanship Day, March of Dimes, Ronald McDonald House, Children’s Miracle Network, ALS Association and the St. Francis House. In addition to their work with 46 civic and nonprofit organizations, the student-athletes also visited 43 local schools. With about 1,877 hours in the community, the student-athletes served over 3,000 Gainesville area youth.

With heavy emphasis on education, the Houston Cougars focused their outreach programs on educational and career programs for 2007-08. The student-athletes volunteered more than 1,000 hours to tutoring and mentoring across the city. They also participated in career fairs for grade level students. This focus has resulted in an increase in the students’ standardized testing scores. The University of Houston athletics department also continued the Little Coogs football tailgating program where they donate food, t-shirts, and tickets to over 1,000 students each home football game. Through Little Coogs approximately, 6,500 game tickets were donated and another 1,000 youth were reached through the mentoring programs in the Houston community.

As part of UIC’s Community Assist Program, thousands of youth from the city and suburbs are able to enjoy a college athletic event free of charge along with bus transportation thanks to their generous sponsors. In addition, student-athletes and staff helped increase efforts in the community by more than 20 percent at such events like “Hangin’ with the Flames” school clinics, blood drives, Wounded Warrior Project, and hospital visits. The student-athletes interacted with approximately 10,000 Chicago youth.

The 2007-08 academic year proved to be another successful year filled with community service involvement completed by University of Kentucky student-athletes. Approximately 2,000 hours of community service in Lexington and surrounding areas was recorded. As in past years, student-athletes continued to mentor youth on a weekly basis at local elementary schools. During mentoring sessions student-athletes assisted with study and reading skills, discussed learning how to make good decision and expressed the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Mentoring services were also provided on an “as-needed” basis upon request from teachers and/or family resource coordinators. The SAAC, under the direction of the Southeastern Conference, participated in the “2007 SEC Together We CAN” Food Drive held September 21-30th. Over 2,630 pounds of food was donated to God’s Pantry, a local food pantry servicing the Lexington Community. The “Cats Cultivating Character” program completed its seventh year in May 2008. A select group of student-athletes made monthly visits to Russell Cave Elementary throughout the year to teach character development lessons. The student-athletes met prior to each class to plan and discuss the hour long character lesson and plans for presentation. Character topics included caring, fairness, trustworthiness, respect, diversity and teamwork. At year’s end the class created a highlight video in which the students and student-athletes expressed what character meant to them. Student-athletes also participated in the annual Breakfast with Santa event at the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital where student-athletes served as Santa’s helpers by distributing balloons, candy, small gifts and spread holiday cheer to young patients unable to spend time at home during the holidays. Also during the holiday season, student-athletes, coaches and athletic department staff volunteered numerous hours as bell ringers for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. In addition to regular team visits to the UK Children’s Hospital, visits were made to the local Veteran’s Hospital, Shriner’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House and the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge throughout the year. As in past years, University of Kentucky student-athletes continued to serve as guest readers and motivational speakers at various school assemblies, churches, sport banquets and D.A.R.E Programs. Student-athletes also continued their support and provided assistance to Habitat for Humanity, local YMCA’s, assisted with and participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and the Kentucky Special Olympics Bowling, Golf and Swimming Competitions.

Each University of Louisville athletics team participated in the after school tutoring programs at four local Boys and Girls Clubs last year. Female student-athletes also participated with Fit4Me, a program built on an innovative community partnership among Women 4 Women, Metro Government’s Office of Youth Development, University of Louisville Women’s Athletics and the College of Education and Human Development, and targeted community and faith based organizations. Fit4Me is a gender-specific, inclusive health and self efficacy program designed to empower middle school aged girls to be more physically active and health aware. Fit4me used a mentoring model with the emphasis on healthy living that can be replicated in other communities. The program was implemented at two local middle schools and met twice a week for eight weeks each semester. The end of the program involved awards for the young girls as well as an opportunity to visit campus and take in an athletic event. Drive Cancer Out (DCO) also received support from the Cardinals and is a not-for-profit organization partnered with the Brown Cancer Center located in Louisville, KY, whose mission is to prevent youth smoking. Student-athletes also made appearances at educational seminars, hosted clinics for children, and participated in Q&A sessions. The men’s and women’s track and field teams decided to adopt Big Brothers/Big Sisters as their community organization of choice in 2007-08. The athletic department hosted elementary school groups from around Kentucky and gave them a tour of campus and some of the athletic facilities. These tours are targeted towards children coming from low-income areas. Most of the children would be first generation college attendees. The children come to campus, tour the facilities, eat lunch and see a demonstration from the men’s head soccer coach, Ken Lolla. Coach Lolla also speaks to the children about working hard, determination, and staying in school. Many more outreach opportunities were presented to the Louisville student-athletes who were able to positively impact the lives of more than 35,500 youth. The athletic department donated another 130,000 game tickets to young community members as social and academic incentives. For example, a writing contest for Black History Month provided free tickets to all who participated and recognition for those who won.

Maryland student-athletes were extremely active and visible in the community, serving over 130,000 hours of outreach in the 2007-08 academic year. The Terrapins participated in Relay for Life, National STUDENT-Athlete Day, the Capital Area Food Bank canned food drive, the U.S. Paralympics Open Swimming Championships, Children’s Hospital visits, and the Jr. Terp Trick or Treat event. For the ninth consecutive year, the student-athletes visited 30 elementary schools and read for a total of 65 hours through the Terrapin Enrichment Reading Program (TERP). TERP is designed to help encourage and promote reading and education amongst second grade students. In addition, the student-athletes collaborated to produce a public service announcement that aired at two home football games during National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week.

An integral part of the experience of a student’s participation in varsity athletics at UMass Boston is a wide-ranging commitment to community service in a variety of venues within the City of Boston. The Beacons hosted youth clinics in many sports, participated in charity walks, and donated clothes, toys and their time to many causes. The student-athletes also volunteered with the Homes for Our Troops Auction, “Read for the Record,” Pink in the Rink, Bring Your Child to Work Day, the Senior Citizens of Harbor Point, Good Neighbor Day, Franklin Park Clean-Up Community Day, and Promising Pals Program. These programs and initiatives describe the overall efforts of UMass Boston Athletics to provide the community with a variety of activities to enrich the lives of youngsters, both from an athletic and educational standpoint. These and other events allowed for the student-athletes to make a positive impact in the lives of 15,375 Boston area youth.

Reading with the Rebels is a quarterly service project which allows Ole Miss student-athletes to participate in reading based activities in three local elementary schools. Depending on the need, student-athletes can be expected to read to classrooms, pods, or individual elementary students. Each athlete is also given the opportunity to talk with the children about the importance of doing well in school and behaving both inside and outside the classroom. In addition, coaches requested specialized service projects for their individual teams. Women’s basketball chose to take a specialized service trip to the Gulf Coast in September of 2007. On this trip, a free basketball clinic was held for elementary school children. The team also conducted two service projects while on the coast, including work on an elderly couple’s home and assistance with the public library’s re-opening. Another on-going initiative involves National STUDENT-Athlete Day-Service. Through the NSAD-Service project, Ole Miss Athletics hosted the fourth grade students from Della Davidson Elementary School. Student-athletes helped with set-up, campus tours, lunch, activity/game sessions, team demonstrations, and clean-up. The event opens with a motivational message from an Ole Miss coach. Over 17,000 local youth benefitted from these and many more team and individual initiatives performed by the Ole Miss student-athletes.

Through the Special Olympics, school appearances, retirement home visits, school fun nights, and Adopt-A-School Programs, 5,000 youth were reached during 2007-08. Through these and many more service activities, the Huskers served 120,275 total people.

The Tar Heels of UNC worked with over 7,000 youth in the Chapel Hill area during their 2007-08 community service initiatives. The student-athletes helped the Ronald McDonald House, Get Kids in Action, Carolina Dreams, Habitat for Humanity, Adopt-A-Classroom, UNC Hospitals, and Special Olympics. The Tar Heels also volunteered with The Victory Junction Gang Camp which enriches the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering, in a safe and medically sound environment.

The women’s swimming and diving program assembled 2,000 packets to place on doors of local Jacksonville low income housing. The packets included information about the over-population problem with pets in the Jacksonville area. The goal of the outreach program was to inform the community about the advantages of getting your pet spayed or neutered. The UNF track and cross country programs participated in two volunteer events during 2007-08. The first event was the Gate River Run in which they managed the start/finish line, as well as several water stations around the course. The second event was the Let Us Play event where the UNF student-athletes assisted with the track stations. The men’s golf team works each term with the First Tee golf program of the first coast. UNF women’s basketball participated in several volunteer and outreach events in the past year. They worked with HabiJax to help build a house for the less fortunate; served cake and ice cream for the residents of St. Catherine’s in Jacksonville; helped students with their math homework at Fletcher Sr. High School’s math project day; and attended the Let Us Play Camp.

Since 1999, Notre Dame student-athlete participation in community service has steadily increased. During the 2007-08 academic year, student-athletes completed over 4,500 hours of community service, a considerable increase from the previous year. An astonishing 100 percent of the teams participated in outreach, reaching over 5,000 people in the local and national communities, and assisting over 50 non-profit organizations and agencies. The Student Welfare and Development Department and the Center for Social Concerns organized RENEW Hope, an off-season, 10-day service-learning program for student-athletes to play a role in rebuilding New Orleans, and begin to understand the complex social issues confronting the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The men’s lacrosse team was particularly active in the community serving more than 1,000 hours. They volunteered in the Bike for Uganda, Fit for Fun, South Bend Reads, Walk for Diabetes, Memorial Hospital’s Hematology/Oncology Christmas Party, and the toiletry drive for the South Bend Center for the Homeless. The team was most known for their service as mentors to youth at one of South Bend’s most challenging schools.

More than 550 hours of community service was recorded by OU student-athletes through the Life Skills Program. Events included reading to school children, leading middle school FCA meetings, speaking to elementary school children and children’s hospital visits. OU Athletics spent another year involved with Special Spectators, a national organization that invites seriously ill children to attend a sporting event and meet the players and coaches. The athletics department participated in Adopt-An-Angel Toy Drive in which toys and clothing were given by student-athletes and department staff to the Salvation Army, Women’s Resource Center, and individuals in need during the holiday season. A Safe Trick-or-Treat was hosted at the Sooner Housing Center, providing candy, games and safe entertainment for hundreds of local children and their families on Halloween. Contact was made with more than 1,000 Norman Public School students in 20 schools, participating in tutoring, mentoring, speaking engagements and other special events through the Life Skills Program. The women’s basketball team participated in the Sooner Big Sis Program, where each women’s basketball student-athlete selects a Norman elementary school class and visited the class once a week for about an hour. The Sooner baseball team participated in several Miracle League games with special needs children in the Edmond area, giving the children the opportunity to play baseball.

The Panther Game Plan is dedicated to engaging student-athletes in experiences that involve the university, local, and national communities through service and exposes them to diverse groups and cultures while increasing awareness about vulnerable populations. In addition to serving the community, the Panther Game Plan utilizes community service as a resource for student-athlete development. Pitt student-athletes contributed more than 2,500 hours to community service initiatives in 2007-08 while working in more than 20 local community service initiatives. Every Pitt varsity program participated as a team in at least one community service initiative per term some of which include The Children’s Hospital Honorary Captain program, Children’s Hospital visits, Panther PAWS (Pitt Athletes Working With Students), Walk Now for Autism, Healthy 4 Life Expo, United Way, Christmas Decorating at an Assisted Living Center for Elderly, Special Olympics, and Relay for Life just to name a few.

Over 100 University of Tennessee student-athletes and administrators lent a helping hand to the Lift Up America organization. Lift Up America distributes food to local food banks, to feed over 3,000 families that are less fortunate. They also arrange free eye care and provide underprivileged children with glasses. Lift Up America joins several corporations with professional and college sports teams to encourage people to lend a helping hand to others in need. The student-athletes also volunteered with Buddy’s Race for the Cure, Special Spectators, and the Boys and Girls Club, as well as nine local schools, two churches, five other youth organizations and 19 other charities, reaching approximately 10,000 Knoxville area youth.

Thirty five USIP student-athletes representing 12 varsity teams volunteered their time in the U.C. Green and American Cities Foundation tree planting project. The trees were planted at the Woodland Recreation Center in Philadelphia. In addition, the men’s and women’s basketball teams sponsored five “Take a Kid to a Game” days.

During the 2007-08 academic year, UW Badger student-athletes dedicated over 1,500 hours of service to the community of Madison. The Badgers participated in over 125 service events ranging from Children’s Hospital visits, Habitat for Humanity Builds, Kids Day at the Kohl’s, and volunteering for ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Additionally, for the seventh year in a row the UW athletic department sponsored a fourth grade reading program in the Madison public schools, “Bookin’ it with Bucky.” Twenty eight student-athletes visited classrooms on several occasions to read with students, discuss the importance of education, and encourage them to meet their reading goals. In December, UW’s SAAC organized a “Book and a Buck” drive where they collected new and gently used books and donations at a men’s basketball game. The books and over $1,200 was donated to a local charity. In addition to excelling academically and athletically, it’s evident that UW student-athletes take pride in serving their community.

Tulsa student-athletes gave a total of 1,539 hours off the field and out of the classroom through community events such as hospital visits, storm clean-up and relief, a canned food drive, Shadow a Student-Athlete Day, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade. The student-athletes also worked with Toys for Tots, Susan G. Komen and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

One hundred student-athletes were pen pals to 5th and 6th graders from an economically challenged school. Each team adopted a family for Thanksgiving, and provided them with dinner. For Christmas, each team again adopted a family and provided them dinner along with gifts. Many teams conducted sports clinics, on and off campus, for disadvantaged youth. Team members donated time each week to do clinics at a local community center over the summer session. Teams participated in clean-up efforts throughout the area and all teams were involved in a walk for a pediatric hospice. These activities allowed Villanova student-athletes to make a positive impact in the lives of 1,500.

The VSU student-athletes participated in many programs relating to community outreach in 2007-08, including the Walk Against Hunger, a food drive during Thanksgiving, the Walk Against AIDS, a Read Aloud Program for area elementary school and pre-school children, the Think Pink campaign for breast cancer, Habitat for Humanity and the Make A Wish Foundation.

The Virginia Tech student-athletes participated in several community service initiatives; canned food drives, reading to elementary school students, autograph nights, and Special Olympic events, to name a few. During the 2007-08 academic year, the women’s lacrosse, soccer and softball teams participated in the Lunch Buddies Program. Members from each team attended lunch with a specific “adopted” class at local elementary schools. Football and men’s golf student-athletes spent time with children at local hospitals. The softball, women’s tennis, men’s and women’s basketball, football and volleyball teams all hosted clinics for local youth. Throughout the month of November, Hokies also volunteered in the Montgomery County Christmas Store. In the spring, the student-athletes and members of the Corp of Cadets served as keynote speakers and talked about the importance of sportsmanship and making good choices during Winning Choices Week.

The West Chester University student-athletes participated in Girls and Women in Sports Day by working with 100 local elementary school girls in a sports clinic. All female teams participated. The football team hosted Boy Scouts at a game while the basketball teams participated in “Take a Kid to a Game” day and the kids mingled with the players in an autograph session at the end of the games.

Whitworth teams take part in activities as a group and as individual programs each year. As a group in 2007-08, teams conducted a Youth Field Day conceived, advertised and conducted by SAAC leaders who were assisted by teammates. Local elementary school children spent the day learning new sports activities, instructed by student-athletes, got a meal and a t-shirt. Individual team efforts included a Guest Reading Program by the football team where the players went to elementary schools and read to children and the swim team offered swim lessons over a one-month period. Many more activities allowed the student-athletes to serve over 1,000 youth.