FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Courtesy of Anna Maria Athletics Communications
PAXTON, Mass. — The Anna Maria College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) received over 300 items and had over 50 percent participation in the inaugural AMCAT Giving Drive to benefit the St. Vincent Hospital Emergency Department and the St. John’s Parish/Ascension Clothing Center in Worcester.
Both organizations serve the homeless and less-fortunate throughout the winter season and see an increased need for weather-appropriate clothing during the colder months. According to the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, more than 19,000 Massachusetts citizens experienced homelessness last winter.
The Anna Maria field hockey team has made annual food donations to both St. Vincent Hospital and St. John’s Parish in recent years, but this year they wanted to help meet the need for warm clothing. Field hockey’s SAAC representative Kylie Dalbec (Portland, Maine) presented the idea at a SAAC meeting, and the organization realized they could help even more people by expanding the drive department-wide—so the AMCAT Giving Drive was formed.
“We wanted to find a way to integrate competition into a SAAC event,” said SAAC President Emily Adriaansen (Pepperell, Mass.), a junior on the Anna Maria volleyball team. “We were drawn to a clothing drive specifically because we recognize its getting cold out and that Worcester has a lot of people in need.”
Each team’s SAAC representative was tasked with motivating their teammates to bring in gently used sweatshirts, sweaters, sweatpants, coats, and other cold-weather clothing. The team with the highest percentage of participation was deemed the winner—the 2014 victor was a tie between the field hockey and volleyball teams.
The giving doesn’t stop there though, as the two winning teams will each receive a $250 cash prize to donate to a charity of their choice. The field hockey team has selected to donate their winnings to the St. John’s Parish food bank, while the volleyball team will take their money to a local department store to purchase items for Toys for Tots.
“We’re excited to extend our giving with a shopping spree,” added Adriaansen, who mentioned that dolls and toys from the Disney movie Frozen were on the top of her team’s list.
“It is great to see our student-athletes be charitable during this holiday season,” said Anna Maria Athletic Director Laura Habacker. “Overall, I’m pleased with how our first competition went, and we look forward to increasing the participation next year.”