Cultivating Community in the Northeast
It’s no secret that our AFH University student-athletes go above and beyond when it comes to community service. In fact, since 2013 over 14,000 student-athletes nationwide have participated in 23,000 hours of community service (and counting), postively impacting over 165,000 people!
It wasn’t long before the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) at the University of Maine took notice of the incredible work happening across our 15 different AFH University campuses and reached out to us. We were able to connect with them and take them through a virtual Empowerment Workshop where they were introduced to the Athletes for Hope curriculum and engaged in meaningful conversation surrounding an athletes role in their community.
Post-workshop, University of Maine SAAC shared with us all of the volunteer opportunities in their community they took part in during the fall 2023 semester. From breast cancer awareness and trunk or treat to Best Buddies and canned food drives, we are so proud of the work the U Maine student-athletes were able to accomplish together.
Community Service
Christine B Foundation Volunteer Day and Awareness Games
The month of October is also known as Breast Cancer Awareness month. Throughout the month, student-athletes wasted no time giving back to their community for a cause they are so passionate about.
Several teams dedicated a game to breast cancer awareness while other teams volunteered to help clean up the Christine B. Foundation location in Bangor, Maine. Others also deciated their time to making thanksigivng cards for cancer patients who couldn not be home to celebrate the holidays with family and friends.
Trunk or Treat
Prior to the University of Maine football game on October 28, 2023, members of the University of Maine SAAC joined together with their fellow student-athletes and other various campus organizations to hust a trunk or treat event. The event itself was a huge success and community members who attended had just as much fun as the student-athletes!
Best Buddies
Best Buddies is an organization that gives individuals with IDD’s (Intellectual Developmental Disabilities) an opportunity to have one-to-one friendships as well as a college experience with the students of University of Maine. The Buddies in the community look forward to events and time spent with students going to football, basketball, and hockey games whereas they would not have the chance to do so without this organization.
In November, University of Maine SAAC partnered with the UMaine Best Buddies program to make friendship bracelets for the Buddies to sell in one of their fundraisers. The group had a great time creating and laughing together.
Canned Food Drive
In December, University of Maine SAAC partnered with Old Town Elementary School for a Food Frenzy canned goods drive. At the endof the Frenzy, they were able to collect almost 3,000 non-perishable items! The items were then donated to the UMaine Black Bear Exchange, the campuses food pantry, as well as the Christine B Foundation.
As a way to celebrate all of the good they accomplished, SAAC members joined Old Town Elementary classrooms for a pizza party complete with student-athletes and the University of Maine mascot Bananas T. Bear.
Did you know athletes all over the world are making a positive impact in their communities each day? It may be confusing to figure out how you can start making a difference, but we are here to help!
We offer a series of workshops that serve rookies, veterans, and retired athletes across all sports leagues and levels. Through facilitated debate and reflection, the Athletes for Hope model helps athletes explore their role in the community, discover their philanthropic passions, and learn how to maximize their charitable impact through a broad range of options, including forming a foundation.
If you are an athlete or coach who is interested in bringing an AFH Educational Workshop to your team, learn more about our workshops and schedule one (or many) with us here.
We can’t wait to work with you!