Dec. 21, 2007

The holiday season is a perfect time to consider those in need and to give back to the community. The Patriot League's athletic departments and Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC) have stepped up over the last few months to perform numerous community service acts and have been leaders in spreading joy this holiday season.

The SAAC at Army joined up with the American Red Cross-West Point and held a coat drive during its football game versus Tulsa on Nov. 17. Representatives from both the Army SAAC and the American Red Cross were stationed outside the gates of Michie Stadium from 10 a.m. until the end of the first quarter to accept donations.

The men's lacrosse squad at Bucknell collected and purchased items to send to the soldiers in Iraq.

Army's coat drive

At Colgate, the SAAC teamed up with the university's Center for Outreach, Volunteerism and Education (COVE) to kick off the Adopt-A-Classroom program at the Hamilton Elementary School in early December. Each athletic team is paired with an elementary classroom and will meet once a month. The student-athletes will interact with the students and discuss issues of character and classroom studies. At the kickoff, each child received a t-shirt monogrammed with "What kind of person are you...when nobody's watching? Character: Show It!" Each month the elementary school will focus on a different word and its meaning, such as citizenship, empathy, etc.

The Holy Cross SAAC focused on collecting what was needed for the holiday season. During a football game near Thanksgiving, SAAC members collected food donations from dedicated fans. The SAAC filled two big bins worth of food to send to the Worcester Food Bank to help provide Thanksgiving dinners to those that could not make it themselves. Also, during a big winter sport weekend a clothing drive was held with the collection going to the Homeless Shelter at the Salvation Army. Between the hockey game and two basketball games, two cars worth of clothes were collected. In addition, the men's ice hockey team enjoyed a men's basketball game with the community's local children over Thanksgiving Break.

Some of Lafayette's teams participated in "Holiday Helpers", which is a program run through the school's volunteering office. Each team involved bought holiday presents for underprivileged moms and children in the Easton, Pa. area. The teams that participated were field hockey, volleyball, women's lacrosse, and softball.

Lehigh's Adopt-A-Family event

Lehigh participated in its annual Adopt-A-Family event on Dec. 4, making it a successful event for the ninth-straight year. The event was facilitated through Lehigh's Community Outreach by Athletes who Care about Helping (C.O.A.C.H.) program. For this program, each athletic team at Lehigh adopted an underprivileged family to help share in the holiday season. Over the course of the semester, the student-athletes from each team raised money in order to buy gifts for their families. The teams met with their families in early December and allowed the children to open some presents on the spot. Santa Claus was on hand to spread holiday cheer, along with the Lehigh Mountain Hawk, and food and drinks were provided to make the evening special for all parties involved.

To learn more about the Patriot League SAAC click here. To read more about the SAAC at each of the Patriot League's eight schools visit the member institution websites.