For the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, it just made sense to give back to the communities that host its men's and women's basketball conference tournaments. But what began as perhaps a modest outreach effort has blossomed into MAAC Gives Back, a year-round, two-city, multiple-event program that touches children in 17 different schools in the state of New York and features everything from a pen pal program to basketball clinics and visits to children in hospitals.

The MAAC men's and women's basketball tournaments rotate each year between Albany and Buffalo, and the MAAC Gives Back program pairs MAAC institutions with elementary schools in those cities. Some elements of the program operate all year in both areas, while other parts of the program take place in the city hosting that year's tournament. Corporate sponsors, such as Pepsi, provide funding for the program.

"This is a community-outreach program with the intent of giving back to the communities that host our MAAC basketball championships," said Richard J. Ensor, conference commissioner. "It emphasizes the importance of staying in school, keeping away from drugs and positive reinforcement."

An important part of the overall effort is the TEAM (Teachers Excited About Motivation) program, which is a community-relations undertaking intended to motivate and encourage the scholastic achievement and athletics participation of middle-school students.

As part of TEAM, each of the MAAC institutions' men's and women's basketball teams have been adopted by middle-school classes in the Albany and Buffalo areas. The student-athletes and the children exchange correspondence, and the school children follow their teams' progress throughout the season as each institution sends the school newspaper clippings, media guides, travel schedules and other materials. The teams also try to visit their pen pals whenever they're in the area. When visiting the classes, student-athletes have emphasized the importance of hard work, discipline and goal setting.

"It really makes me feel good when I know a young kid is benefitting from the things I say in a classroom," said Darren Phillip, a basketball player at Fairfield University and a participant in the TEAM program.

Teachers have used the program to get their students interested in a variety of subjects relating to the MAAC teams, from geography to mathematics. Students write letters to players, make banners for their teams and support them throughout the regular season and the tournament. The children receive tickets to see their teams, both when they play in their area and during the conference tournaments.

"My class has participated in the program for the last three years," said Sara Stillwell, a teacher at Windermere Boulevard School in Buffalo. "It has really been a wonderful opportunity for my fifth graders. They have communicated throughout the year with a player from Rider University via e-mail and kept tabs on (Rider's) game results on their Web page. The team beautifully exemplifies the importance of education and the hard work it takes to achieve goals."

The MAAC Gives Back program also includes basketball skills clinics held in the city hosting the tournament. Coaches, student-athletes and even team mascots participate in the clinics. MAAC players and coaches also visit local hospitals at tournament time, taking special care to spend time with young patients.

"The program allows for the MAAC athletes to serve as positive role models to both the students and the community," said Meghan Holohan, women's basketball team captain at Rider University.

While many of the activities in the program are fun, great care is taken to ensure that academics are emphasized.

"Doing something like the MAAC Gives Back program is of the utmost importance so that both the players and the students we visit remember the positive impact of academics in their lives," said Paul Hewitt, head men's basketball coach at Siena College.

"Elementary children can see that there is a connection between school and athletics," said Barbara Peters, a teacher at Winchester Elementary School in Buffalo. "These young college athletes inspire the children to pursue their sports interests, set goals, work hard in school and dream big. Dreams become possibilities. "