EDISON, New Jersey - The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced Marist College as the winner of the 2015-16 Good Works Challenge on May 18. Marist took the top spot out of the conference's 11 schools in the challenge for the fourth consecutive year and received $1,000 that will be donated to the Dutchess County SPCA.
The Red Foxes' athletic administrators and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as well as student-athletes and coaches from all 23 Marist varsity sports programs took part in community service events this past academic year. Their volunteerism produced 7,614 points from 60 events. Marist's largest amount of volunteered hours went to Poughkeepsie Children's Home visits and reading programs at Hagan Elementary School. More than 80 Red Fox student-athletes spoke at physical education classes and taught techniques from their respective sports at Haviland Middle School on its Sportsmanship Day in April.
"Once again, our student-athletes have demonstrated their commitment to helping others and giving back to those in our community,” said Marist Director of Student-Athlete Enhancement Alyssa Gates. “I am amazed by the amount of hours they devote to so many different areas of service, especially given their time demands and the pressures that come with balancing academics and athletics. It is truly important to our students to make a difference in the lives of others."
Other notable events hosted on campus included the Girl Scouts Sports Sampler, Kids Day Out, Special Olympics, Holiday Giving Tree and Hunger Walk. Community service plays a significant role in the mission of Marist College and the institution's founders, the Marist Brothers.
“Marist College fulfills its mission by pursuing three ideals: excellence in education, a sense of community, and a commitment to service,” said Marist Director of Athletics Tim Murray. “Winning the Goodworks Challenge for the fourth year in a row is validation of these ideals. Congratulations to each of our 650 athletes for winning this award, but more importantly for the service they provided to our community.”
