By: NYSPHSAA Staff

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) announces General Brown Jr/Sr High School Soccer and Sanford H. Calhoun High School Football programs as the winners of the NYSPHSAA Community Service Challenge, presented by NYCM Insurance, for the Fall of 2023. NYSPHSAA utilizes the Team Up 4 Community platform for its Community Service Challenge, and this is the first time either school has won this award in the 12 years of the program’s existence.
 
“Community service is an integral part of developing student-athletes into better teammates, and strong pillars of their community,” said NYSPHSAA Executive Director, Dr. Robert Zayas. “Congratulations to General Brown and Calhoun for being strong examples of what it means to show up for their communities.”
 
General Brown’s soccer programs partnered together to raise money for the Tomorrow Needs You Foundation and the Jefferson County Suicide Prevention Coalition. The two organizations collaborate to provide support for local mental health agencies as well as scholarship opportunities to high school seniors pursuing futures in mental healthcare. Through t-shirt and Krispy Kreme doughnut sales, the fundraiser brought in $4,800 to support ending the stigma around mental health and suicide awareness.
 
“This award means a lot to so many people within the program and the community,” said General Brown Girls Soccer Assistant Coach, Monica Makuch.  “There are many students in our community, and family members of our soccer family, that have been affected by suicide. Our community embraced the fundraiser and provided us with tremendous support. This project allowed us the opportunity to make it known that no one is ever fighting alone.”
 
“Receiving this award has been an honor as we are the first school in Section III that has won since 2011,” said student-athlete, Geona Wood. “Our soccer teams put hours of effort into selling Krispy Kreme Donuts and mental health awareness shirts; therefore, this award was much deserved to recognize the hard work that we put into this fundraiser to aid in the benefit of the Tomorrow Needs You Foundation.”
 
Sanford H. Calhoun’s football program spent their season evolving into community advocates for cardiac screenings for young people. The team hosted ‘Cardiac Screening’ themed games, and set up booths at community events to educate and raise awareness for the importance of cardiac screenings while fundraising for St. Francis Hospital’s Cardiac Screening Program. It was important to the team because congenital abnormalities are the most common causes of death for young people, and early screenings to detect those abnormalities, since many are asymptomatic.
 
"I am extremely proud of our players, parents, and school community in our attempt to bring attention to sudden cardiac death awareness,” said Football Head Coach Nick Rawls. “As a program, we wanted to highlight a cause that is unfortunately overlooked but is extremely important to bring attention to. Our players dedicated their time, energy, and effort to reach out to the community during games and at the Merrick Fair to help bring awareness and raise money for a worthy cause. They represented Calhoun with dignity and class and had a profound impact on those who they interacted with."
 
Tommy Rossi, sophomore on the team with aspirations of being a doctor, acknowledged the impact he and his teammates made on their community. “Even if our efforts in bringing awareness to preventative cardiac screenings helps to save one athlete, we have made a difference.”
 
Team Up 4 Community is now accepting submissions for the Winter 2024 Community Service Challenge. Teams have until March 4, 2024 to submit their community service projects, and can learn more here.