St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Student-Athletes Participate In
3/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | General
QUEENS, N.Y. - As a testament to the BIG EAST Conference commitment to community service and its partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of America, St. John's student-athletes Danisha Moss of volleyball and Colin Panarra of men's soccer spoke at the second-annual "BIG EAST SERVES Day" on Wednesday, March 9, to help tip-off the Conference's 2016 men's basketball tournament.
"This is the second year of the BIG EAST SERVES Day and St. John's was well represented as we had over 35 student-athletes participate in the event," said St. John's Campus Minister for Athletics Fr. Richard Rock. "Two of our own student-athletes, Danisha [Moss] and Colin [Panarra] gave inspirational talks to the youth about the importance of education. It was a day in which they will always remember the importance of love for young children in our society."
The dedication to service is a core value of BIG EAST member schools, each of which encourages student-athletes, faculty and staff to make a difference through a wide range of community outreach activities.
Moss and Panarra were joined by student-athletes from St. John's and from around the Conference in a collaborative service effort to support projects in New York City, including service at four New York City-based affiliates of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. For their efforts, Moss and Panarra were named "Queens People of the Week" by NY1 News.
To mark "BIG EAST SERVES Day" in New York City, they visited four Boys & Girls Clubs in various parts of New York City: PS188, South Queens, Tompkins Square, and the School of the Future.
Moss and Panarra were very much engaged at the event as they read to children, assisted with homework, while also participating in a question and answer session.
"BIG EAST member schools have long valued the commitment to service, and we are proud to incorporate BIG EAST SERVES day into our tournament week programming," said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. "We are happy to partner with The Boys & Girls Clubs of America again this year, an organization that shares a similar set of values. We hope the creation of an annual, dedicated day of service will inspire everyone associated with our league to give back to their communities in whatever way they choose."
Similarly, at the 2016 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament, which was held March 5-8 at McGrath-Phillips Arena on the campus of DePaul University, the conference and its member institutions connected with the Boys & Girls Club of America in Chicago to bring more than 100 area youths from Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago to the semifinals.
Launched in December 2014, "BIG EAST SERVES" is a community platform that aligns the activities of the Conference with the academic and service missions of its schools and encourages student-athletes, faculty, administrators and supporters to make a positive difference in their communities.
