St. John's University Athletics
Student-Athletes Take Part In Eighth-Annual University Service Day
9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
Sept. 29, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - On Saturday, Sept. 26, St. John's University student-athletes, coaches and athletic department personnel took part in the eighth-annual University Service Day, organized by the St. John's University Service Opportunity Counsel.
Student-athletes from the men's and women's basketball teams, cross country and track & field and lacrosse teams participated in this all-day event dedicated to helping others and giving back to the community by volunteering at different sites in the region.
"A tradition with our student-athletes over the years has been to have a visible and substantive role in University Service Day," said Chris Monasch, Director of Athletics. "We are proud that our student-athletes have once again lived up to our mantra of `Win. Graduate. Serve.'"
Fr. Patrick Griffin, Executive Vice President of Missions and Branch Campuses at St. John's University, and who serves on the service opportunity counsel, opened the day with prayer before the student-athletes traveled to their respective service sites. Griffin was joined by track & field junior Priscilla Frederick who read from the scriptures during the opening ceremonies.
The men's lacrosse team traveled to Rosa Lee Young School in Rockville Centre, N.Y. Led by head men's lacrosse coach Jason Miller and assistant coach Dan Paccione, the team organized and painted classrooms while also weeding and seeding the garden on the exterior.
"It was a great opportunity for our guys to get out and be involved in the community," said Miller. "They were able to take on an entire project on their own and see it through to completion. This year, we walked in and we saw what the place looked like when we got there, and we could see that we had made a huge impact by the time that we left."
The St. John's women's cross country and track & field team went to Brentwood, N.Y. where they worked in the Memorial Organic Garden for the Sisters of St. Joseph. Head coach Jim Hurt and assistant coach Yvonne Harrison joined the team as they raked and weeded the garden, organized classrooms, and spent time with some of the elderly nuns.
"It was a beautiful day and a great opportunity to spend time with the team outside of cross country and track & field in a service context," said Hurt. "We were able to help the nuns with some of the more difficult daily tasks, and then spend time with them at lunch. It was a great way to really learn the value of community."
The women's basketball team again went to the non-profit special education facility HeartShare First Step where they worked with children doing arts and crafts activities.
"Every year, our team looks forward to University Service Day," said Veronica Mullen, women's basketball director of operations. "This is a great opportunity to give back to our community that supports us so much, and the team really enjoys working with the children and their families at HeartShare First Step."
This year, the men's basketball team held basketball clinics at two YMCA facility in Queens, N.Y. Seven players went to the Jamaica YMCA while six players went to the Flushing YMCA. Members of the coaching staff joined with the players to help the youth in attendance with various basketball skills through a variety of drills and instruction.
"University Service Day is always a terrific opportunity for our guys to interact with young people in our area and really try to make a positive impression," said men's basketball head coach Norm Roberts. "It is always a great day for us at the Queens YMCAs. For our players, the reward we receive for spending time with the kids is really tremendous."
Serving on the Service Opportunity Counsel as the liaison to athletics, administrative assistant for Student Development and Academic Support, Joanne Zissel, along with Fr. Tri Duong, Campus Minister to the Athletes, coordinated the teams with their various sites.
Players Mentioned
