There’s an old saying that if you want something done, ask a busy person. Finding people busier than Farmingdale State College student athletes would be a challenge. Besides going to school full time and participating in a sport, many have jobs.
There is an understanding that besides everything they do, athletes are expected to give back to their communities. All of FSC’s athletic teams are involved with community service and also for some students, those experiences are among their best memories as athletes. From collecting food and toys, walking to raise money, and running clinics for younger athletes, most of the teams are busy year-round.
There is a mindset that community engagement should be embedded College-wide, to benefit students and area residents. “I hope community service becomes part of the culture on campus,” said Yetunde Odugbesan, Acting Director of the Office of Community and Civic Engagement. “We understand it’s not going away. When you do above what you are required to do, it serves as an inspiration for others.”
The College earned the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement, a national designation, in 2020. FSC was one of only 119 higher education institutions to receive it. FSC is the only SUNY school on Long Island and one of only two academic institutions on Long Island to hold the designation. The designation lasts until 2026, and the college will submit a reclassification application in April 2025.
Community engagement is very important for athletics and the College as a whole. “It raises the profile of the institution, educates students on the importance of giving back to the community, and allows students to be well rounded and prepared for life after college,” noted Tom Azzara, Director of Athletics. “The culture has been established by the coaches, staff, and student-athletes as they truly enjoy community engagement and have bought into the importance of giving back. The students get as much out of the experience as do the community groups we are collaborating with.”
Most of the teams have been involved with community outreach for years, but the department started including it in its goals in 2015, Azzara said. The college has 18 teams and about 300 athletes; most teams participate in two or three projects a year and often the whole athletic department is involved in an event.
“We constantly speak to our student-athletes about the importance of leadership and giving back to the community,” Azzara said. “We want to challenge our student-athletes to use their platform as an athlete and understand the opportunity they have to make a difference.”
Among the many annual events in which athletes participate are food and toy collections by the women’s lacrosse team; visits and gift donations at the holidays to the AHRC by the men’s lacrosse team; team members’ participation in fundraising events such as the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, and numerous clinics for local and New York City youth teams, including lacrosse, basketball, tennis, and golf. Members of the track and cross country teams have held clinics-sessions where the college athletes teach skills to the younger ones- and read books to middle-school students.
In October, members of many teams joined caregiver advocate Jay Asparro in his two-day run on FSC’s track to raise money for the Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center.
This year the men’s basketball team joined Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization that matches children facing serious illnesses and disabilities with collegiate athletic teams. The team announced at a “press conference” in October that Alijah Powell, 9, of Amityville is its newest member, and he received his uniform and other equipment and attends practices and games.
The men’s team also hosts a Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) day, which includes a basketball clinic, pizza, and an FSC basketball game.
“It’s good for the guys to interact with the community,” said head men’s basketball Coach Brendan Twomey. “Once they get there, they love doing it. They see the smiles on the kids’ faces.” Players also gain perspective. “They realize not every kid has the opportunities they have, and they can appreciate being able to go to college and play on a team.”
Team Captain Corey Powell, a senior sport management major from Valley Stream, said he enjoys the clinics and also participated in Katie’s Run last year, to benefit the Katie McBride Foundation, which supports families of children with cancer.
“Sometimes we don’t understand the impact or the influence we can have on younger kids,” Powell said. “We can’t just be athletes, we have to understand the significance of being leaders in the community. The experience makes you want to get more involved.”
Women’s lacrosse team members also have held clinics, both on Long Island and New York City, as well as participated in walks, and volunteered at soup kitchens.
“We try to get involved with causes that affect members of our team or their families,” said women’s lacrosse Coach Erin Calkins. “We have done walks for breast cancer and lung cancer. This year a player’s grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.”
Players especially enjoy the clinics, Calkins noted. “It gives them someone to look up to,” she said about the younger players. “Our players give back and feel humbled that little kids look up to them.”
“The best part is giving back and seeing the impact it has,” added senior team captain Marina Zumbrunn, a sports management major from Ronkonkoma.
During the holiday season, players usually volunteer to help pack boxes of food at Long Island Cares as well. “It is super important to give back, especially for women athletes to help foster a caring, accepting place,” Calkins said.
The athletes’ involvement shows what the campus could do as a whole, noted Odugbesan. “We’re looking at areas of the College so they are not silos,” she said. “If we’re going to move toward community involvement, it’s all about collaboration, and how you get others involved.”
Employers’ demands are changing and for job candidates to be more competitive, they have to be active in the community, according to Odugbesan. “I hope to generate leadership on the part of the staff and students.”
Especially now when people get caught up in their own issues, it’s important to remember to reach out, Zumbrunn noted. “I feel like anyone and everyone can be a role model,” she said. “It’s not hard to do the right thing. You have to be the change in a kid’s life.”
