St. John's University Athletics
Baseball Gets Involved In The Community
2/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 22, 2005
St. John's is Vincentian in tradition and because of this, we seek to instill in all of our student-athletes a deep concern for the rights and dignity of every person, especially the poor and most vulnerable. Many service opportunities offer a hands-on approach through volunteering one's time, energy and talent.
The baseball team, under the direction of Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer, has made a great commitment to volunteering and giving back to the community.
Coach Blankmeyer emphasizes how essential community service is to his team and encourages his entire team to take part in volunteering.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for our young men to be part of the community," Blankmeyer said. "When they come to St. John's, they are not only here to get their degree and to play baseball, but to help others out."
Each year, Blankmeyer designates individuals to serve as community service leaders. These individuals are responsible for setting up all the efforts.
This year, junior Ken Devenney and Jim Martin both reflected what a great honor and responsibility it was to be named in that capacity.
The team has given quality volunteer hours at local soup kitchens and has fostered a relationship with a local men's shelter by offering their student-athletes to serve as company with the clients while also providing overnight supervision. Without this service it would be very difficult for this shelter to remain open.
From the months of November through March the student-athletes, once a week, share conversation and their time with the men at the shelter.
Martin, a senior graduating in May, remembers his first visit to the St. Nick's Men's shelter and recalls the casual conversation and the comfortable environment that was created with his teammates and the homeless clients.
 Ken Devenney  | |
"When you first go, you're a bit apprehensive because it's a whole new environment for you," Martin said. "It's not something that you're used to. But over the last four years, I've learned that it not only can be fun, it's giving part of yourself to the community and that's been very rewarding."
In the October 27 edition of the Torch, the St. John's University student newspaper, Devenney was highlighted as a standout athlete who values his family, faith and academics. Community service is among the things he is committed to and Kenny says, "Community service is good because as the person giving the service, you see results in your participation," Devenney said. "What I really get out of community service is developing friendships and the experience of tolerating diversity."
Devenney's faith combined with his volunteer effort echoes the words of Saint Francis of Assisi, "The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today."
These service opportunities outlined above provide the baseball team direct contact to the lives of the most vulnerable. They allow for reflection and transformation so as to make the necessary connections from the classroom to the competition venue to the volunteer site and will continue into their lives after St. John's. John Ruskin once said, "The highest reward for a person's work is not what they get for it, but what they become because of it."
