Community Service
T he SAAC's Community Service board plans and facilitates a variety of service events and projects both within and outside of the MIT community. This past year the community service committee sponsored several events including MIT Habitat for Humanity's Beaver Dash and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. In the spring, the SAAC organized the inaugural Athletic Support Staff Appreciation Day during which support staff were treated to a small reception and presented with thank you notes prepared by the athletic teams. In addition to one day events, the SAAC and our men's volleyball and women's tennis teams have been working with the Friends of Jaclyn organization for the past two years providing support to pediatric cancer patients.
Community Service's major undertaking for the year was an event called Experience MIT in which the SAAC and DAPER hosted the 6th grade class of the Boston Collegiate Charter School for a day. The students spent the day touring multiple labs and studios on campus and playing a wide variety of games in the Zesiger Center. This event gave the students the opportunity to play organized sports together since their school only has a minimal athletic program due to a lack of facilities. Thanks to the many student-athlete volunteers the event was a huge success and enjoyed by all.
For the upcoming academic year, Community Service is working with the Boston Scholar Athlete program to support the Fenway high school student-athletes by dedicating a number of hours of tutoring each week by MIT student-athletes.
If you have any service ideas or would like additional assistance in making a project happen, please contact the MIT SAAC at saac-exec@mit.edu.
Current projects:
- Boston Scholar Athlete Program: If your team is interested in participating in this weekly tutoring community service event at the Fenway school in Boston, please contact Community Service Chair, Lauren Hernley, at hernley@mit.edu for more details.
- Friends of Jaclyn: The Community Service Committee is currently looking into expanding the FOJ program at MIT. If your team is interested in becoming a part of FOJ, please contact Community Service Chair, Lauren Hernley, at hernley@mit.edu and fill out the Information Request Form on the FOJ website.
The women's tennis and men's volleyball teams have each "adopted" a child with a brain tumor, offering friendship, love, and support to their new young teammate. On May 3, 2009, MIT hosted the Chickaroo Charity Tennis Tournament in honor of the women's tennis adoptee, Caroline. The tournament was open to the public to participate, and all money raised supported the Friends of Jaclyn program and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
- DAPER Community Service Challenge: The SAAC would like to encourage teams to participate in service events as a way of both supporting our mission of service and giving teams opportunities to participate in team-building activities. Each term, the community service board chooses 1-3 specific service events to promote throughout the MIT athletic community. In the past the SAAC has promoted MIT Habitat for Humanity's Beaver Dash and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Teams are encouraged to participate in these events.
