April 10, 2003
Photo Gallery
The Siena athletic department will again be part of the national celebration of student-athletes this year, sponsoring a fun-filled day of festivities for under privileged youths in the Capital Region Saturday afternoon in the Marcelle Athletic Complex. Now in its 15th year, Colleges and Universities observe National Student-Athlete Day throughout the country.
Siena's involvement on Saturday was forwarded by the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Council and is a spin-off of the department's existing relationship with St. Cashmire Elementary School in Arbor Hill, as well as the College's Big Brother's and Big Sister's initiative.
Area youths will join in, and learn from, Siena's student-athletes in an afternoon of games and instruction. The events, which run from noon until 3:30 p.m., include a Bar-B-Q lunch. T-Shirts will also be awarded as result of a donation made by The Albany Times Union.
"The spirit of National Student-Athlete Day is demonstrated in our athletes' willingness to give back to the community by showing area children that participation in sports can be a positive diversion from the difficult choices adolescence presents," Athletic Academic Advisor Michelle Bronner, who overseas the program, states. "This will be our second year of involvement, and based on the experiences had by all last spring, I am confident the program is here to stay."
Created in 1987 by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) and Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society, and presented by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), National Student-Athlete Day is one of America's strongest endeavors to increase the positive virtues of sport and the recognition of student-athletes nationwide.
The NCAA provides financial assistance and administrative support to the NCAS by providing colleges and universities with nomination forms for the Giant Steps awards and other pertinent materials to promote National Student-Athlete Day. NCAA member institutions are encouraged to recognize outstanding student-athletes and to make National Student-Athlete Day a meaningful experience by placing posters around their campuses and participating in community activities.
