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NCAA News Archive - 2010

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May 26, 2010 9:50:59 AM

Matt Kulbacki lifted a child in the air in triumph. Jacob Schnee took time to listen to a little girl. Jared Frey allowed one boy to wear his maroon-and-gold Kutztown baseball hat as they strolled the bases together. Brandon Shurr presented an autographed ball to one of the youngsters at the conclusion of one of the most memorable afternoons in the lives of the Kutztown baseball team.

The Golden Bears spent about two hours before the start of the Division II Baseball Championship last Saturday in Cary, North Carolina, volunteering for the Miracle League of the Triangle's annual season-ending Home Run Derby.

"This is a fun event for the kids to bring them out and play baseball," Schnee said. "It's good to see them happy. It was fun for me and I can tell they had a great time too. I was just happy to be out here and doing something nice for the kids."

The event was part of a Division II community-engagement activity.

The vision of the Miracle League is "Every Child Deserves a Chance to Play Baseball." The league provides opportunities to all children with special needs to play baseball regardless of their abilities.

"The kids can't play ball if they don't have assistance," Miracle League staff member Cyndy Vagle said. "Some of them need the guidance to keep them focused on the game while others physically need somebody to help them hit the ball. So we rely on volunteers like the guys who came out today.

"Without their help, we couldn't do the games or have this opportunity. It's an awesome opportunity not only for the kids to have some baseball players here, but it gives baseball players a perspective on their own game too. So for everybody involved it's a win-win situation." 

 "This is amazing," Kutztown junior Mike Dugan said. "It's great to come down here to North Carolina for a beautiful tournament and then do something like this. You can tell; this really brightened the kids' day. We're here for the World Series and you think it's supposed to be about us, but it's all about the kids. Having fun with them definitely makes this whole experience better." 

As the student-athletes headed back to the bus, they couldn't stop talking about how much fun they had. It gave many players a better appreciation for the gifts and blessings they have to play college baseball at a high level and receive an education.

 "Being able to participate in this event says a lot about Kutztown University, what we stand for and the character of our team," Blum said. "It was a wonderful feeling to be able to have the chance to spend some time here and make a difference."

Le Moyne makes wishes come true: The Le Moyne Student-Athlete Advisory Committee presented the Central New York Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation with a check for more than $7,000 on May 20 following a year-long fundraising campaign. As part of a nationwide Division II initiative, Le Moyne College student-athletes raised money through various programs on behalf of the foundation to grant wishes for deserving youngsters facing life-threatening illnesses.

Among those present was 11-year-old Beca Lloyd, who has been a recipient of a ‘wish' and who has been instrumental with Le Moyne student-athletes in raising their record-breaking total. Earlier in the year, Beca joined the Dolphins at a basketball game and delivered a captivating speech to Le Moyne fans, who celebrated with a standing ovation.

Over the past three years, Le Moyne College student-athletes have raised more than $16,000 through various events, including the annual Black Light Graffiti Dance and senior-day raffles. After a 82-79 men's basketball exhibition game victory over Syracuse last November, proceeds of a commemorative T-shirt were directed to the Make-A-Wish program.

To date, more than 1,000 T-shirts have been sold.

It's a ssssssecret: Coker is adding an element of suspense to the announcement surrounding its new athletics logo. The fresh look for the Cobras will be unveiled June 22 during a ceremony on campus. The event will even be available on a live simulcast online for those who are not able to attend. Accompanying the new logo will be a new Web site design for www.cokercobras.com, which in the meantime is offering a countdown to the exact moment of the announcement.

The new logo will replace the current Coker Cobra logo that has been in use since 1973.

Idea that works: From the community-engagement section of www.diicommunity.org:

On a cool, rainy day in April, 386 elementary school children in grades 4-6 enjoyed high-paced physical activity alongside Montana State-Billings coaches and student-athletes during "Kids and Jackets All A-Buzz".

A total of 14 stations included water safety, tennis, soccer, softball, baseball, cheerleading, basketball, a library tour, a science building tour, volleyball, stretching for activity, and track and field. The action stopped only for a 15-minute lunch break. The 6-foot-5 "Big Buzz" Yellowjacket mascot made its way to every station and greeted kids as they got off their school buses. High fives and hugs were the order of the day with "Big Buzz" and all 386 kids.

"We sincerely believe this event was of tremendous value to the Billings community," said Athletics Director Gary Gray. "Many of the children from the three schools we selected come from families of very limited and/or low income. Some of the children and their families live in temporary housing, such as a local women's and family shelter operated by the Montana Rescue Mission.

"This was the first time many of these children had been on a college campus, and they were touches by the experience. It was very moving to read in their thank you letters that they now, because of this experience, want to start thinking about the idea of actually going to college someday. For many, they would be the first in their families to do so."

The event involved almost all Montana State-Billings athletics staff, including head and assistant coaches in 17 sports. Principals from three elementary schools from low-income neighborhoods and all their grade 4-6 teachers also participated.

The event took about four months to plan, with much of the actual detail work of the specific program being completed within the last month. 

"The thank you letters written by the elementary students are very touching and made us realize how big an event this was in the lives of many of these children," Gary said.  "To think that this event helped inspire some young students to want now to attend college some day is amazing to us. In addition, we received excellent feedback from many other individuals both on-campus and within the community, indicating how much they appreciated our taking the time to plan and implement this event for so many children."