By Elizabeth Kalaj, Web Editor
This semester, Manhattan College’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is collaborating with the Make-A-Wish foundation to host a fundraising event at Van Cortlandt Park on April 20.
Kristyn Smith, community service chair of SAAC, and Lydia Gialluca, secretary of SAAC, spoke about how this collaboration came to be.
The connection between the two organizations started this past summer when the Make-A-Wish foundation reached out to former SAAC advisors in hopes of having campus and community connections in all five boroughs. After consulting with Make-A-Wish several times, the executive board of SAAC decided to utilize Van Cortlandt Park as their venue.
The event will consist of a general walk around the main circular track in Van Cortlandt Park and having several vendors present along with Make-A-Wish alumni who can share their experience with the program. In addition, all sports teams will be present and participating in the walk.
Nicolette Caneda, vice president of SAAC, shared a bit about what this collaboration is and what the event means to her.
“I think Make-A-Wish is the perfect organization to do an event with since we all grew up hearing about them,” Caneda said. “So getting to bring this organization to campus was pretty cool.”
This collaboration resonates personally with Smith, as she explained to The Quadrangle that she knows a few people who have had wishes granted by Make-A-Wish, so she was excited to work with the organization to give back to a community that she is familiar with.
“I know a few people who have had wishes granted, so when we were given this opportunity to work with them, I jumped on it immediately,” Smith said. “We do want to give back to the community, we want to give back to something greater than ourselves. I think by going into the Riverdale community and even just in the greater [metropolitan] New York area, it’s a great opportunity to get the word out about Make-A-Wish.”
Due to the high publicity towards the Make-A-Wish foundation, members of the SAAC executive committee believe that the impact made from this fundraising event will reach far and wide.
“I think we are very lucky to be in the positions that we are in,” Caneda said. “We are all division one athletes here and I think, whether we know it or not, a lot of young kids probably think that is something cool and to look up to. We hope to lead by example and get as much participation in our community as possible for this great cause.”
Gialluca explained the importance of SAAC to her and its mission.
“I have been on the Board of SAAC for the last two years because making sure that student-athlete voices are heard on campus is very important to me along with being part of something that is greater than myself,” Gialluca said. “Some of the opportunities I have had through SAAC are things I had never dreamed I would get the opportunity to do in college.”
This event will be open to all, including people from the Manhattan College and Riverdale communities. SAAC’s executive board hopes to get as many people involved and participating as possible.
In the future, SAAC hopes to collaborate with more organizations to create broader community service events to involve campuses outside of the athletic community.
“We are super excited for April 20,” Gialluca said. “And we hope to see as many people there as we possibly can get.”
Editor’s note: Mary Haley, Asst. Features editor and social media editor, contributed to reporting for this story.