The fall semester is just four weeks old and Fredonia Blue Devil student-athletes have already been busy successfully completing several community service initiatives.
The list includes neighborhood lawn and garden jobs performed by the men's hockey teams, beach cleanup by the men's and women's swimming and diving teams and the Fredonia Soccer Cancer Awareness Weekend. All three are annual initiatives by the teams and their supporters. New to this year's list is a donation of clothing to victims of Hurricane Harvey undertaken by women's basketball, softball, and men's and women's track teams. Events include:
• Men's Hockey Yard Cleanup -- This was the ninth straight year members of the Blue Devil hockey teams have performed odd jobs at the homes of Village of Fredonia senior citizens. The players visited 10 homes on Sat., Sept. 9, and did various yard chores. One group -- Jasper Lorican-Barlay, Bobby Polachek, and Ryan Dunn -- worked at the home of Tom and Ceil Bingham. "Once again this year," Mr. Bingham wrote, "we are grateful for the hard work, efficiency, and friendliness of these three members of the Fredonia Men's Hockey time who came to help out with yard work. They weeded the raised beds Ceil had constructed, laid out compost, manure, and top soil, and transplanted peonies from behind the shed to the new beds. Thank you!"
• Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Beach Sweep -- The men's and women's swimming and diving teams took to Lake Erie beaches off Dunkirk, N.Y., on Wed., Sept. 12, as part of the 32rd annual Great Lakes Beach Sweep. The Blue Devils collected various items off the beaches and made this final accounting: 1,625 pieces of plastic, 47 pieces of paper, 130 pieces of plastic foam, 878 cigarette butts, 30 pieces of metal, 13 rubber items, and 52 miscellaneous items.
• Fredonia Soccer Cancer Awareness Weekend celebrated its third year of existence with its best yet event yet. Aimed at promotion awareness of ovarian and prostate cancer, organizers raised $3.320 through the sale of admission tickets, raffle tickets, 50-50 tickets, and various donations. With a check of $1,500 from Lake Shore Savings & Loan Association added in, a donation of $4,820 will be made Team Roswell -- the fundraising arm of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. That exceeded last year's donation by nearly $1,500. A new feature this year was a raffle of big-ticket items, including a recliner donated by Pucci's Carpet One of Fredonia, a 43-inch high-definition TV donated by the Fredonia Wal-Mart, an autographed Buffalo Bills football donated by the team, and two pairs of Cleveland Indians tickets donated by a friend of Fredonia Women's Soccer. In addition, a tent for the event was donated by G&E Tents and Chairs and the printed tickets donated by local businessman Jim Michaels.
• Hurricane Harvey Clothing Drive -- Three Blue Devil teams answered the call from University of Houston head men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson, who asked the college athletics community for donations of clothing in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey earlier this month. Women's basketball, softball, and men's and women's track and field assembled garments which were later mailed to Coach Sampson for distribution to hurricane victims.
Numerous other community service events are still being planned for the remainder of the 2017-18 school year. Details were be announced as they become available.
