Click on the headings below to view photo galleries from many of the Pride's community service initiatives during the 2011-12 academic year.
Alexander's Angels Buddy Walk
This annual event raises funds and awareness for the Alexander's Angels
Foundation for Down Syndrome. This year the event took place in Eisenhower Park,
where team members from our women's golf team spent the afternoon playing
sports with participants of the Buddy Walk, enjoying the festivities and making
new friends.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long
Island
For years Hofstra University has partnered with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of
Long Island, bringing children to campus to take advantage of our academic and
recreational facilities. Each year on designated days, the children get to
spend the afternoon with an athletic team where they are taught skills in
various sports. This past year our baseball, men's soccer and women's soccer teams
each hosted a recreation day for the organization.
Breast Cancer Awareness Games
During the 2011-2012 athletic year, student-athletes on our softball and field
hockey teams got together to support breast cancer research. During a
designated home game for each team, student-athletes went out and purchased
pink socks, head bands, wrist bands and t-shirts, as well as collected funds
during the game from generous fans with all proceeds being donated towards
breast cancer research.
Breast Cancer Walk 2011
Student-athletes from our baseball and women's lacrosse teams took part in this
annual event held at Jones Beach State Park. The walk is one of the largest
fundraisers in the country each year in support of breast cancer research.
Thousands of participants took part in this year's walk and, along with Hofstra
student-athletes, made a difference in the fight against breast cancer.
Shake-A-Rake
Student-athletes helped out in this two-day event by raking leaves at the homes
of elderly Hempstead and Uniondale citizens. The event is put together each
year by the Hofstra Office of Off-Campus Living and many student groups take
part. It is a great way for the Hofstra student body to come together and keep
the community we are all a part of clean.
Exercise Night
Each year the Walnut Street Elementary School hosts an exercise night to stress
the importance of fitness to students and their parents. This year members of
our women's golf team helped out as coaches and played a variety of
recreational activities with the children.
Floral Park Youth Council Clinic
The baseball program at Hofstra hosted a clinic for the Floral Park Youth
Council. The event was held at Floral Park Memorial High School and saw
children receive instruction on pitching, hitting, throwing and fielding. The
participants ranged from 4 to 8 years old, and everyone involved had a terrific
time.
Friends Of Jaclyn
The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation was started in 2005 to improve the quality of
life for children with pediatric brain tumors. The foundation pairs up children
with collegiate athletic teams, which the child is adopted as an honorary team
member. Several teams at Hofstra have adopted young children as part of their
athletic teams, and the benefits of the foundation on the children and the
student-athletes are immeasurable.
Hewlett House
The Hewlett House, located in Hewlett, NY, is the home of the 1 in 9 Long
Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition. The facility offers cancer support,
family support, art therapy, yoga, and writing classes for those affected by
cancer as well as their families. This past fall, the Hofstra University
baseball team took a visit to the Hewlett House and helped clean up the
facility. The student-athletes helped rake leaves, pull weeds, take out trash,
as well as reorganize storage rooms at the home.
Hospital Visits
In the spirit of giving back to those less fortunate, this year
student-athletes from women's tennis and baseball took visits to local
hospitals and spent the afternoon with patients. Women's tennis spent time with
children at Winthrop Hospital, decorating arts and crafts and giving the
children a special afternoon. Baseball team members visited another local
hospital, Mercy Medical Center, where they spent time sharing stories with
patients who were recovering from surgical procedures.
Jackson Main Elementary Biography
Day
Jackson Main Elementary School hosted a biography day for the student-athletes
of Hofstra University this past fall. Athletes from 16 of our athletic teams
took the trip to the Hempstead elementary school where they were paired up with
a fifth grade writer. The students had a great time interviewing the athletes
from Hofstra, who shared stories of where they were from, as well as all of the
athletic and academic successes they have had throughout their lives,
encouraging the elementary-aged students to work hard and create their own
stories.
Let All The Children Play
Let All The Children Play is a local not-for-profit organization that looks to
improve the lives of all children by developing accessible playgrounds and
recreation programs. This past year, the foundation unveiled their state of the
art facility at Eisenhower Park. The opening festivities were attended by student-athletes
from our men's basketball team, who entertained guests throughout the day with
a variety of activities.
Massapequa Soccer Clinic
The Hofstra University women's soccer team hosted a clinic on campus for the
Massapequa Youth Soccer Club this past year. Team members took youth players
through a number of stations, each one teaching a different soccer skill. The
camp was well attended and enjoyed by all participants.
Polar Plunge
Student-athletes from women's soccer, women's lacrosse and field hockey took
part in the Special Olympics Polar Plunge this year. The students came together
to raise over $2,500 in support of the Special Olympics of Long Island, and had
a terrific time with the thousands of participants at Bar Beach in Port
Washington, NY. Student-athletes from our wrestling team also took part in a
polar plunge this year in Long Beach, NY. This plunge was in support of the
Make-A-Wish Foundation. Both events were great successes in raising funds for
their organizations.
Read Across America
Each year in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, the Hofstra Athletics Department
takes part in Read Across America Day. This year student-athletes from six
teams visited local elementary schools where they read Dr. Seuss stories to
children from pre-k to second grade. The event stressed the importance of
reading, writing and having an imagination through story telling.
St. Baldrick's
The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer driven charity committed to
funding research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and
healthy lives. The foundation has events all year round where participants
sign-up to have their heads shaved, while raising donations to support the
foundation. This year an event was run on campus where Head Men's Soccer Coach
Richard Nuttall received a special haircut, while being part of a Hofstra team
that raised over $19,000.
The INN
The Interfaith Nutrition Network is a local soup kitchen and homeless shelter
that helps thousands of guests each year by offering hot meals and emergency
shelters, as well as long-term housing programs. This year our women's
basketball team took a few visits to The INN where they helped serve meals and
entertain guests. A very special acknowledgement must go to senior Candice
Bellocchio, who over the course of the year raised funds to sponsor a meal at
The INN.
Tunnel To Towers Run
The men's lacrosse team took part in the 10th Anniversary Tunnel To Towers Run to benefit the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation. Student-athletes participated with
thousands of other supporters, to honor those who served in the NYFD, NYPD and
the various other emergency response teams that helped save so many lives.
