Feb. 1, 2008
The National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) has announced that La Salle University's Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation has been named to the "Outreach Honor Roll" for its efforts in community service and neighborhood outreach. This marks the seventh year in a row that La Salle has been named to the Honor Roll.
"We are proud to be recognized by the NCAS and its member schools for the seventh consecutive year," said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation Dr. Thomas Brennan, who is a member of the NCAS Board of Directors.
The NCAS consists of colleges, universities, and individuals who share a mission to use educational attainment and the appeal of sport to positively affect social change. NCAS was founded in 1985 by Dr. Richard E. Lapchick to "keep the student in student-athletes" and currently has 28 member institutions in the Mid-Atlantic region alone.
Project Teamwork, the Athletic Department's community service outreach program, places student-athletes into the community doing various service projects ranging from the Big Brother/Big Sister program to helping elementary school students with their homework.
Project Teamwork has placed emphasis on Logan Elementary school and the Big Brother/ Big Sister program, as Logan students participate in Big Brother/Big Sister with La Salle student-athletes serving as their "bigs." At Logan, there are special rooms for La Salle student-athletes to tutor the nearly 75 children in the program in subjects such as math and science and participate in games and computer-based programs.
Student-athletes also dedicate time to mentoring Logan students in a weekly after school program called "Power Hour." Additionally, each of the 23 intercollegiate teams holds clinics for the Logan students throughout the year. Clinics are held in the Logan gymnasium and are interactive programs that allow student-athletes to teach the students about their respective sports, show them various techniques, play games and answer their questions. This is an on-going program not confined to a single semester or athletic season.
Michael Ellerson, Director of Project Teamwork at La Salle, commented on how important interaction is with the students. "The student-athletes serve as role models to the students at Logan and give them an opportunity to grow and learn outside the classroom in a fun environment."
Though outreach at Logan is a major focus of Project Teamwork's outreach, La Salle student athletes have been involved in a number of other service projects throughout the year, such as the Big 5 clean up, tree planting at Oak Lane, and holiday gift-wrapping through Don Tollefson's One Child Saved program.
Brennan pointed out that the response by La Salle student-athletes is not just stressed by the athletic department. "One of the distinctive characteristics of a Lasallian education is community service. The athletic department, along with the University, has made a commitment to service and community outreach. We are proud that the student-athletes have responded to this commitment in an exemplary fashion."
