Around The USCAA - 12/21/15
Around the USCAA is a weekly article that highlights current happenings, key matchups, and relevant news stories from across the association. If you have a relevant news piece that you would like considered for inclusion please send it to info@theuscaa.com.
Around the USCAA Holiday Edition
SUNY Canton’s Women’s Basketball Makes Donation to Richard Winter Cancer Center
Canton, NY – The SUNY Canton women's basketball program made a donation of over $250 to the Richard E. Winter Cancer Center in Ogdensburg, NY after fundraising during its recent Kevin Fee/Roos Classic.
This year marked the fifth time that the Roos hosted the tournament as a fundraiser in the memory of Kevin Fee. Fee was a longtime police officer in Ogdensburg and a huge supporter of local and youth sports. He was also an instructor in the Criminal Justice program at SUNY Canton.
*Courtesy of SUNY Canton Athletic Website
University of Maine Augusta Athletics raises money and food for Hallowell Food Bank
AUGUSTA, Maine - The University of Maine at Augusta athletic department raised close to $300 and collected several boxes of non-perishable food items at a recent home game to benefit the Hallowell Food Bank.
“Our student population is very involved in the issues around food security,” said UMA Athletic Director Jennifer Laney. “Overall we want to emphasize to our students the importance of giving back to the community, and for us as a department, a number of our student-athletes have volunteered there in the past, so cultivating those on-going relationships is very important to us.”
Two current members of the women’s basketball team, captains Carmen Bragg and Jamie Plummer, began volunteering at the food bank as part of a service requirement for a nutrition class. Senior captain Keith Chesley also spent some time volunteering at the food bank. They helped set up fresh produce from Hannaford and aided in the reorganization and restocking of goods among other tasks while volunteering.
“Working at the Hallowell Food Bank was one of the most humbling experiences I’ve ever had,” said Bragg. “It has taught me to appreciate what I’ve been given in my life, and that you should never miss an opportunity to extend grace to those in need.”
Despite only needing 10 hours of service for the class, both Bragg and Plummer decided to spend every Friday morning for the remainder of the semester, developing solid relationships with many of the people who work there, including Jeanne Langsdorf, who oversees the food bank.
“We looked forward to volunteering there every Friday,” said Plummer. “Even though the semester was so busy, we were able to spend a few hours helping others and probably got more out of it than they did.”
*Courtesy of University of Maine Augusta Athletic Website
Penn State Worthington-Scranton Lady Lions Give Thanks by Giving Back
The Penn State Worthington-Scranton Women's Basketball team stepped off the court Tuesday night to give back to their community. Members of the Lady Lions along with Head Coach Tom McIntyre and his two sons, Thomas and Joseph, volunteered at the Progressive Center in downtown Scranton, part of the United Neighborhood Centers of Northeast PA. The women were part of the UNC's Annual Thanksgiving Feed-A-Friend program.
The student-athletes bagged all the trimmings for a holiday dinner including a turkey, potatoes, carrots, bread or croutons, cranberry sauce, celery, onions, apples, pumpkin pie mix, pie crust mix, non-dairy whipped topping, and canned vegetables to distribute to the many who struggle to provide hot meals for their families on Thanksgiving.
According to the UNC website, the Thanksgiving Feed-A-Friend provides almost 2,000 families with children all the trimmings for a traditional Thanksgiving meal annually. Sophomore guard Sara Moss was surprised at how much need there as in the area, "It was nice to give back during the holidays, for me, I know I was shocked to see how many people actually got the free meal," she said.
Giving back to the community is something Coach McIntyre instills in his athletes, having the team volunteer in some capacity around the holidays for the past five seasons since he has been head coach.
*Courtesy of Penn State Worthington-Scranton Athletic Website
Johnson & Wales University Charlotte Men’s Soccer Works Tournament to Fight Homelessness
Charlotte, NC -- The Johnson & Wales University Charlotte Men's Soccer Team participated in an offseason community service effort last weekend.
The team worked with the Urban Ministry Center of Charlotte to assist in production of the Street Soccer Christmas Classic at Providence United Methodist Church in the Myers Park neighborhood of Charlotte. This tournament was part of Street Soccer 945, a program that uses soccer to bring people together and raise awareness for the challenges of homelessness in our area.
The team members helped with setup for the tournament and served as officials for the numerous contests throughout the day. The team contributed over 100 total hours to this effort while building team unity and helping those in need.
*Courtesy of Johnson & Wales University Charlotte Athletic Website
Key Weekly Matchups
Men’s Division I Basketball
12/28/15 – Villa Maria at College of St. Joseph’s Vermont at 8:00 P.M.
12/28/15 – Florida National University at Dakota Wesleyan University @ Mike Miller Classic at 9:00 P.M.
Men’s Division II Basketball
12/22/15 – Central Penn College at University of Maryland Eastern Shore at 4:00 P.M.
12/30/15 – Penn State DuBois at Clarion University at 8:00 P.M.
Women’s Division I Basketball
12/22/15 – WVU Tech at Marshall University at 12:00 P.M.
1/3/15 – Bridgewater College at The Apprentice School at 3:00 P.M.
Women’s Division II Basketball
12/28/15 – Villa Maria at College of St. Joseph’s Vermont at 6:00 P.M
1/3/15 – Central Penn College at Columbia University at TBA