They come from different backgrounds, but sports provided a common language for the members of the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference student-athlete advisory committee and the special-needs children they befriended during the SAAC’s recent annual community-service project.

Student-athletes from Westfield State, one of eight MASCAC member schools, suggested that the league work this year with the Unified Sports Program (USP) in hosting a field day for children. USP focuses on children with disabilities, teaching that having friends who are different is an essential life skill.

“We chose this because (sports) was something that we could relate to them with,” said Westfield State track and field athlete Marlee Berg, president of the MASCAC SAAC. “Being active is really important, especially today when most kids are sitting in front of a TV.”

Approximately 35 student-athletes from MASCAC schools were involved in the three-hour event, participating along with 45 children in such activities as basketball, baseball, frisbee, hockey and track.

“Our goal is social inclusion through sports,” said Steve Berube, USP founder and program director. “We teach kids through sports that ability doesn’t matter. We make the special needs kids do the same thing as normal kids.

“The (student-athletes) learn just as much as kids with disabilities,” he continued. “We want all kids to learn that having friends that are different is a good thing. It might take us some years, but were getting there.”

MASCAC Commissioner Angela Baumann was pleased with the event.

“The USP runs a great program for the community which integrates students together,” she said. “They are very organized and easy to work with. We were very pleased with the outcome of the event and the feedback we received.”