Elmira's Student-Athlete Advisory Board Assists Local Family For Holidays
Elmira Athletic Department Tradition Focuses on the Spirit of Giving During the Holiday Season
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) and the Department of Athletics expressed their holiday spirit by giving back to a local family in need, as part of Catholic Charities of Chemung and Schuyler Counties' Adopt-A-Family Program.
The Elmira SAAB, comprised of members from the College's 19 athletic teams and the sports medicine department, has made participation in Catholic Charities' Adopt-A-Family Program an annual holiday tradition. This year, donations were collected to support a single mother and her three children, who ranged in age from six to 15 years old, in hopes of making their Christmas a little merrier.
"I think it's important for our student-athletes to come together because it shows our entire school that we can be a part of something bigger than ourselves," said
Nick Cottone, a senior on the baseball team and SAAB president. "A lot of us are fortunate enough to be able to go to college, get a good education and go home to enjoy the holidays with our families. The Elmira community coming together and donating funds towards another family's Christmas really speaks volumes about the unselfish nature and strong character instilled in our student-athletes."
According to Cottone, the Soaring Eagles raised enough funds to purchase nearly every item on the family's wish list, ranging from necessities to household goods, clothing, and toys for the children. Cottone, SAAB Vice President
Joseph Amoddio (basketball and volleyball), and fellow student-athletes
Taylor Hanson (women's soccer),
Kelsie Aloi (field hockey),
Alyssa Waters (basketball),
Rachel Katzenberger (volleyball and softball), and
Irene Zimmerman '19 (cross country), as well as sports medicine student assistant
Holly Landon, found time between finals preparation earlier this week to wrap the gifts. The presents were then delivered to the Catholic Charities office in downtown Elmira by Cottone and teammate
Corey DeMauro on Friday morning.
"Adopting a family for Christmas is so important because a lot of our families don't qualify for certain assistance, so they're really struggling to make ends meet at Christmas time," said
Katie Rhodes, Development and Marketing Coordinator for Catholic Charities. "Being able to have presents and toys for the kids, but most of all the hats, boots, gloves, and those sorts of things, is a huge blessing for them, and it's really important for the community to come together to help those in need."
- Information for this release provided by the Elmira athletic communications staff -
About the Empire 8 Conference
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and aspire to be regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership seeks to distinguish itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8.