By: Kristen Jadin, NYSPHSAA Assistant Director

LATHAM, NY - The New York State Public High School Athletic Association Inc. (NYSPHSAA) announces Columbia High School (East Greenbush - Section 2) as the Spring 2023 Community Service Challenge winner. This is the 12^th year the program has been in existence and the third time Columbia has won this prestigious award. 

Columbia High School has been raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for the past three years. This year, the Columbia Kicks Cancer team, led by two student-athletes, Julia Harbour and Rachel Ostiguy, raised over $69,000 for the cause.  The Columbia Kicks Cancer team, which also includes six additional student-athletes, organized fundraisers like gift card raffles, dine to donate events at local restaurants, and a babysitting event for Columbia parents to go out while students watched their children. Their commitment added up to over 100 hours of donated time.

“Receiving this recognition is an honor and justifies all of our team's hard work throughout the campaign,” said Julia Harbour. “It also means that we have been able to make a difference in people's lives, hopefully inspire future generations to continue our Columbia Kicks Cancer legacy and help those affected by blood cancers.”

Columbia High School was selected by the NYSPHSAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) who sifted through over 100 submissions this past spring. Columbia stood out with their level of dedication, the total number of hours served, and the impressive fundraising success they had this year.

“Receiving this state recognition means so much to our team. I appreciate that NYSPHSAA is recognizing student athletes’ accomplishments not only in athletics but also in community service,” said Rachel Ostiguy. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with fellow students for such a worthy cause. Not only did our friendships grow stronger, but we learned the value of teamwork on and off the field.”

Columbia will be recognized with an award presented at a school event of their choosing this fall.

“This is great recognition for the hard work and dedication these students put forth as they fundraised and brought awareness to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The team dedicated numerous hours to planning, organizing, and hosting events to reach their campaign goals,” said Ryan Jones, East Greenbush Director of Health, Physical Education, & Athletics. “This Columbia Kicks Cancer team set out to make a difference, rallying the community behind them to achieve and surpass their fundraising goals. These young adults showed their true passion for not only being well-rounded student-athletes, but leaders within the community as well.”

This spring, a total of 117 community service projects were submitted for consideration through the Team Up 4 Community platform. In total, more than 5,000 NYSPHSAA student-athletes donated over 31,000 hours of their time to a community service project this spring. Those hours resulted in $108,192 raised for charitable causes.

“Congratulations once again to Columbia High School,” said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director. “The student-athletes at Columbia continuously show commitment to a greater cause. It is always wonderful seeing the difference student-athletes have in their community.”

A winner for the NYSPHSAA Community Service Challenge is selected each season. This year concluded with the highest number of student-athletes participating since the collaborative launch with Team Up 4 Community. Over 20,000 student-athletes completed 474 community service projects, resulting in over 114,000 hours of service. NYSPHSAA will begin accepting submissions for the Fall in late August.