Colgate teams give back in many ways

Spring teams raise money, help the community, and hold awareness games to bring attention to an important issue

Whether it's raising money or bringing awareness to an important issue, Colgate University athletics teams support good philanthropic causes every year.

The tennis teams raised money for a children's hospital. The women's rowing team rowed to benefit research for pediatric brain cancer. The softball team held a pride game and supported mental health awareness. And the list goes on.

Teams generally decide upon the charity or organization to support with a team vote. At other times, decisions to support a particular charity are due to personal connections, like the tennis teams holding an awareness match to support the hospital that saved the life of the coach's son.

Or it could be that a team wants to back a movement that has long been neglected, which is what the men's lacrosse team did this year by raising awareness for Every Child Matters, an initiative that sheds light on the thousands of Indigenous children taken from their families and forced to attend schools in North America starting in the late 1800s. Many years later, the remains of those children were found in mass graves.

Others have tried to bring awareness to Every Child Matters by wearing orange T-shirts that bear the slogan. The lacrosse team did just that before its match against Lafayette on March 19.

"We look for opportunities to support a great cause every year." said Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Matt Karweck. "This cause, especially, is dear to our program and the sport of lacrosse. We are honored to bring awareness to a movement that has affected so many lives, in hopes that others will recognize the negative impact that years of ignorance has had on the indigenous people."

mens lacrosse — Members of the men's lacrosse team wore Every Child Matters shirts during a game

The team's efforts to promote Every Child Matters is the subject of a Patriot League story, which will air on CBS Sports Network during the men's lacrosse championships next weekend.

In previous years, the team raised money for the HEADstrong Foundation, which provides financial support to families affected by cancer. Last year, the lacrosse players generated donations for a local resident whose house burned down.

On Feb. 26, the Colgate tennis teams hosted the sixth annual Children's Heart Awareness match, where T-shirts were sold to benefit the Golisano Children's Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. The event raised pediatric heart awareness and supported the hospital where Clifford Pennington, son of Colgate Head Men's and Women's Tennis Coach Bobby Pennington, had open heart surgery in March 2016.

Clifford was born with a heart defect and needed a life-saving procedure.

"This is a cause that means a great deal to my family and I," Pennington said. "One in 100 children have a heart defect. We wanted to give back to the Golisano Children's Hospital as much as we can."

The women's rowing team tested its mettle by joining the Connor's Erg Challenge in 2019. The challenge requires rowers to race to 100,000 kilometers to raise money for brain cancer research.

The event is organized by the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation, which was named after a teen who succumbed to brain cancer before he pursued his wish of joining a rowing program in college.

Colgate rowers enjoyed the challenge so much they've participated each year since then.

"We love the competition amongst the schools and again we love being able to give back to a foundation that is directly supporting the research to eliminate pediatric brain cancer," said Head Women's Rowing Coach Jessica Deitrick.

In 2020, Colgate had the highest per capita results, raising $4,500. This year, the team brought in $5,000.

In addition, rowers have found ways to aid local causes. The team helped clean up the Chenango Canal and the Chenango Canal Association Museum in the fall.

tennis heart awareness — The tennis teams wearing T-shirts that promote the Golisano Children's Hospital

Last year, the rowers collected materials for the food pantry and also adopted a family for the holidays from the Sherburne-Earlville school district.

The women's lacrosse team chose to support the One Love Foundation, a national organization that aims to end relationship abuse by empowering young people with the resources they need to see the signs of unhealthy relationships.

The team held an awareness game on April 2 against Navy, where the Raiders wore One Love T-shirts and handed out bracelets with the organizational theme "Love is learned," said Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Kathy Taylor.

During the holidays, the team collected toiletries for the Help Restore Hope Center in Oneida, N.Y. to give back to the area. Then, while the team trained in Florida during the pre-season, the student-athletes organized a developmental lacrosse clinic for area youth lacrosse players.

"Over 50 young girls came out to participate and fun was had by all," Taylor said.

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