New York, N.Y. – With Thanksgiving right around the corner, many Americans sit back and reflect on the blessings they have. For the Queens College student-athletes, the evening was a chance to bond as a team, give back to the less fortunate and to tangibly live the school’s motto of ‘Dicimus ut Serviamus’, Latin for, we learn so that we may serve.
The athletic department had all hands on deck for this event as the men’s basketball team, softball team and volleyball team spent part of their night collecting clothes, packing items and making food and sandwiches to be distributed later in the night.
After that step was complete, the swimming team chipped in by packing a few vans and having everyone head into Manhattan to distribute the food, clothing and toiletries to the homeless around New York.
In fact, the main goal of the event was to build a strong relationship between the volunteers and the homeless through the act of caring. Adam, a homeless man, was very grateful for the winter clothes and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches expressing, “It’s great to see so many young men and woman coming out on a school night and caring about us”. Another homeless man, Thomas expressed “It feels great that there are still some people who still cares about us”.
The Queens College athletic department will continue to volunteer in this memorable community service going forward.