Community Relations - Spartan Participation with photos
FootballThe football team helped the community by serving food to underprivelded people in the San Jose Community FootballThe football team helped the community by serving food to underprivelded people in the San Jose Community and the San Francisco
The Spartans of San Jose State University are eager to announce the participation and future participation in approved community volunteer opportunities listed below. For further information please click the link(s) provided.
Women’s Gymnastics Supports the NFL
San Jose State University Gymnastics starts the year off with the first community outreach program of 2005. On Saturday, August 13, the ladies of Sparta embark on a season commitment to the San Francisco 49ers marketing department.
Men’s Golf Reaches Out to Alumni
On August 12, volunteers from the Men’s Golf Program, Jared Wise and Graham Skytte assisted the College of Business for the Annual Alumni Golf Tournament.
The Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative (BAWSI) exists to mobilize women athletes in practical ways that bring health, hope, and wholeness to girls and women in the San Francisco Bay Area.
BAWSI Women Running the Country
Women’s Head Coach Janice Richard is selected to provide motivation to the participants of BAWSI’s Women Running the Country program. The following article was developed around the FITT principals and driven from personal experience.
The city of San Jose and San Jose State University host evacuees from the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina in Spartan Village. The Athletic department hosted several entertainment activities during the month of October with Women’s Basketball, Softball and Football. Women’s Gymnastics join San Jose Councilmember Ken Yeager
On October 11, Women’s Gymnastics Student-Athletes, Angela Bazant and Alley Zezoney coached the challenge set forth by Councilmember Ken Yeager by encouraging participants in a stair challenge up the 18 floors of the New City Hall.
For more information Anne Darling Elementary
The Spartan “STEP” Program kicked off with an evening with Sammy and friends on October 13th at Anne Darling Elementary School. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
On Saturday, October 22 the SJSU Women’s Soccer team, lead by team leader Erin Lavey, participated in the American Cancer Society’s premier event “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer”. On the foggy Saturday morning in San Francisco our women's soccer team was part of the 17,000 walkers for this noble cause. Parkview Elementary
On Friday, October 21, Parkview Elementary School invited our student-athletes to participate in the Hispanic Parent Involvement Day. The morning program consisted of a variety of short programs hosted by grade levels K-5. In addition, San Jose State athletes Favian Villalobos (football) and Lorena Martinez (softball) were able to present a short presentation to the students of Parkview Elementary and their families on the importance of setting college as a goal, and the steps to help their children find success. The difference in their presentation was that Favian and Lorena conducted the entire presentation in Spanish. After the conclusion of the program, Favian and Lorena entertained questions from the children and their parents. In addition, Justin Paysinger (football) and Chris Reese (football) toured other classrooms and engaged with students as they went through their daily agendas. Favian also joined his teammates as they read to a very attentive group of third graders. San Jose State Athletics looks forward to hosting Parkview Elementary as the Spartans take victory against the Aggies of New Mexico State on November 19th.
Red Ribbon Week at Los Alamitos Elementary School
Former San Jose State University Quarterback and current Quarterback Coach Marcus Arroyo kicked off Red Ribbon Week at Los Alamitos Elementary School. Marcus spoke to an audience of about 80 fifth and second graders about the choices he has made in his life which have lead him to where he is today.
On October 26th and 27th Women’s Gymnastics and Women’s Basketball attended University Police Department’s Annual Safety Fair. In conjunction with the day long event, both teams supported fundraising efforts by volunteering their time throughout the day at various booths. Fundraising proceeds will benefit Special Olympics Silicon Valley region. This was UPD’s Sixth Annual Safety Fair. Located on campus on Paseo de Cesar Chavez, UPD attempted to create lifelike scenes in which safety prevention could have saved lives. For more information about the fair visit:
http://www2.sjsu.edu/police/pages/news/100604.html Silicon Valley Marathon
On Sunday, October 30, 2005 Women’s Basketball and Women’s Gymnastics attended the Silicon Valley Marathon. With two weeks left in the GOGIRLGO program, San Jose State University athletes joined to rally on the students they are mentoring this semester. BAWSI (Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative) was an ally of the marathon, run by the Silicon Valley Children’s Foundation. Valley Medical Center Bowl-A-Thon
On Sunday, November 6 softball coach DeeDee Enabenter-Omidiji participated in Valley Medical Center’s Bowl-A-Thon. Sponsored by BAWSI (Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative), DeeDee joined the cause of raising funds for Valley Medical Center’s patient recreational programs.
Millbrae Rotary Club
On Tuesday, November 8, Coach Tom Williams, Co-Defensive Coordinator/ Linebackers Coach, represented San Jose State University Athletics as the guest speaker for the Annual Rotary sponsored luncheon honoring graduating Football players, Spirit Squads and Band Members from Capuchino and Mills High School at the Greenhills Country Club. Since its beginning in 1997, this event has grown to become a date significant to the families associated with each school and a popular warm-up to the final football game in the high school careers of these scheduled for the following Saturday. Each year, this luncheon features a guest speaker from the world of athletics with a special interest in young athletes. In recent years, such figures as Bubba Paris, Vernon Glenn, Roger Theder and Bob St. Clair served as such speakers. Robert George, Luncheon Chair, "We register our thanks to Coach Williams, his words were inspirational and his delivery warm and charming. He touched every person sitting in the room with the reminder that dedication and discipline will aspire excellence in their future."
On Thursday, November 17, Coach Wayne Wright and gymnasts Adriane Mertens and Alley Zezoney visited Seven Trees Elementary School to teach a physical education class. To show their gratitude, the students of Seven Trees Elementary School extended an invitation to join them for lunch. Spartan Football & Second Harvest Food Bank Drive
On Saturday, November 19, San Jose State Athletics teamed up with Second Harvest Food Bank at Spartan Stadium for the First Annual Holiday Canned Food Drive. Before the Spartan football feam led us to victory against New Mexico State, members of the men’s golf team, women’s tennis team, and women’s soccer team rallied our tailgaters to support the cause with monetary contributions for Second Harvest Food Bank. Once the gates opened, the volunteers manned each entrance collecting the non-perishable items and spreading the word about the organization’s mission. We were able to collect eight bins of canned food and over $500. Special thanks go out to all the Spartan fans for their kind donations, without your support this event would not have been a success. In addition, thank you to women’s tennis, women’s soccer and men’s golf for making their presence known in the stadium and for volunteering their time and energy to such a great cause. For more information about Second Harvest Food Bank you can visit their website at www.2ndharvest.net. Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen
On Tuesday, November 22, participating student-athletes and coaches from the football team spent the evening distributing meals to local families on behalf of San Jose State Athletics and Loves & Fishes Family Kitchen. Each coach along with the student-athletes joined the families that requested assistance with preparation for their Thanksgiving meal in their homes. The team was able to reach out to seven families in the Spartan neighborhoods. Sacred Heart Community Service
On November 21 through the 23 members of the softball team, women’s golf team, and cross country team volunteered at Sacred Heart Community Service. Sacred Heart Community Service is a non-profit organization whose mission is to fight poverty. Our volunteers gained hands-on experience from start to end with the preparation and delivery of the meals to families at Sacred Heart Community Center. St. Vincent's Food Pantry
The Student-Athletes and Coaches from the women's volleyball team embrace the Holiday spirit during their trip to Reno, Nevada for the WAC tournament. On Friday, November 25, in between tournament play, the team volunteered their time at St. Vincent's Food Pantry. During this engagement, student-athletes and coaches were able to assist individuals and families from the Reno community with a special Holiday meal. It is wonderful to have the Spartan Experience spread across the country. For more information on St. Vincent's Food Pantry please visit - http://ccsnm.org/FoodPantry.asp Women’s Gymnastics Spread Christmas Cheer
Women’s gymnastics, in participation with the City of San Jose, spent the afternoon on Saturday, November 26 in preparation for the annual tradition of Christmas in the Park. Coach Wright and the student-athletes from gymnastics used this opportunity for a team building event while adding their own pizzazz to this holiday tradition. Christmas in the Park runs until January 1, 2006 everyday from 9 a.m. to midnight. Come out to support San Jose State Athletics and let us know what you think about our tree. For more information please visit http://www.christmasinthepark.com/. Nice job Amberly Klein, Adriane Mertens, Tracie Kavalec, Kelsey Spellacy, and Alley ZezoneyMartha Stewart would be proud.
Spartan Basketball and Sunday Friends Toy Drive
On Tuesday, November 29, Sunday Friends teamed up with Spartan Athletes at the men’s and women’s basketball games to collect toys and raise monetary contributions for this local non-profit organization. The toys collected will be used to stock the shelves of Sunday Friends’ Treasure Chest for the Holiday Program on December 11. Sunday Friends is an organization that provides a supportive environment for low-income families. Volunteers from men’s Golf, women’s tennis, women’s soccer, and men’s football came out and helped to collect dozens of toys and over $300. Thank you volunteers for helping to spread the holiday cheer. Michael Hobson, the Associate Director of Sunday Friends Foundation, extends his gratitude to everyone involved and wishes the student-athletes and administrations at San Jose State University a happy holiday season. For more information about Sunday Friends or to learn how you can help, please visit their website at: http://janis.bizland.com/index.html
Renaissance Academy Field Day
On Friday December 9, San Jose Athletics joined Renaissance Academy of Arts, Science and Social Justice in their biannual all school field day. Renaissance Academy split each classroom into competing squads for a day of fun. Each squad used colors as their team theme, creating shirts, face painting and even dying their hair to match. Field day started at 9 am with an all school capture the flag competition, and then the class competitions... from Football to Dodge Ball, rivalry was fierce and great to watch.
Pala Middle School
San Jose State Athletics is eager to announce a continous partnership with Principal Sid Haro and Pala Middle School beginning in November 2005 and running through May 2006. Student-Athletes have the opportunity to form positive and lasting relationships with the middle school by dedicating one day a month to be volunteers in the classroom. The expectation is to plant at an early age the importance of higher education by engaging with student-athletes during lesson plans and sharing personal narratives and stories of the benefits of staying in school.
SJSU - University Police Department - Holiday Toy Drive
On Wednesday, December 14, student-athletes, coaches and administrators from softball, football, water polo and women's golf volunteered their afternoon on main campus with the University Police Department celebrating the success of the annual Holiday Toy Drive. With the guidance of Corporal Carlos Garcia, the volunteers prepared the donated toys from the campus community for local familes in need this holiday season.
Family Supportive Housing
Chester Coleman and James Jones (Football) represented San Jose State Athletics on December 19 in the community at San Jose Family Shelter/ Family Supportive Housing Christmas Shoppe. Over the weekend, the Christmas Shoppe, an on site store located in the family shelter, was set up for parents to "shop" for their children's presents and the children to shop for their parent's presents to give each other for the Holidays. All items in the Christmas Shoppe are donated to the family shelter over the year and are FREE, including gift wrapping! Our student-athletes spent the afternoon volunteering their time recovering the store after the busy holiday spree and assisting any last minute shoppers with selecting the perfect gift. Thank you to Susan Webster for her assistance in preparing this opportunity for our student-athletes to join the local community during the Holiday season.
Coelho to Lead College Athletic Ticketing Breakout at INTIX Conference
Darren Coelho, Spartan Athletics’ Director of Ticket Operations, has been asked to lead the Special Interest Group Breakout on College Athletic Ticketing as part of the 27th Annual International Ticketing Association (INTIX) Conference and Exhibition. The conference is set to take place January 10-13 in Boston at the Sheraton Boston Hotel and neighboring Hynes Convention Center.
Captain Scott Corwin Memorial Fund
In the fall of 2005, Greg Corwin, father of Captain Scott Corwin, contacted Universities across the county in hopes of seeking support for the Memorial fund created to honor his son who lost his life in combat overseas. "Project 92" hit the ground running when jerseys started pouring in from across the country in support of his great cause. The goal was to provide each solider a football jersey with the number 92 for the 92nd Combat Engineer Battalion in Baghdad, Iraq.
Habitat for Humanity
On Friday, February 3 and Sunday, February 5, Spartan Athletics joined Habitat for Humanity in renovating two Victorian homes into four condominiums. Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that “works in partnership with low income families to build affordable, decent housing in Santa Clara County”.
20th Annual Girls and Women in Sports Day
On Wednesday, February 1 San Jose State joined the nationwide celebration of the 20th Annual Girls and Women in Sports Day. During half-time at the men’s basketball game against Boise State, we honored the young ladies from women’s soccer, volleyball, swimming and diving, tennis, gymnastics, women’s golf, women’s basketball, softball, water polo, cross country, and the cheer squad. This day was declared by the U.S. Congress in 1986 to honor female athletic achievement and recognize the importance of sports and fitness participation for all girls and women. Thank you to our coaches and student-athletes for your participation and being a wonderful example of what we strive for as women and as a community at SJSU! For more information on this day please visit the following links: http://www.aahperd.org/ngwsdcentral/
http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/cgi-bin/iowa/index.html
Goethe Institute Celebrates Soccer Around the World
In conjunction with the Goethe Institute, the German cultural institute at San Jose State University and the department of foreign languages are presenting a showcase of soccer photos from around the world. Spartan men’s soccer players Ernesto Bueno, Daniel Perez, Matt Schembri, and Patrick Scheufler were eager to see the historical soccer photos. “The pictures were a great way to show how many people throughout the world love soccer. Our love for the game is expressed perfectly in these photos,” stated senior forward Ernesto Bueno. The exhibit is located on the second floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Library and is open for viewing until April 30.
St. Isidore's Elementary School
On Tuesday March 21, Athletic Director Tom Bowen appeared in his 96th speaking engagement at St. Isidore's School in Danville, Calif. He joined Miss Sarkee’s classroom with 36 ecstatic first-graders to talk about the importance of being in school. The children were so engaged in the conversation that they kept asking questions about all the student-athletes and the sport teams that Tom Bowen oversees at San Jose State University. He was absolutely amazed by these first-graders, “It was wonderful to get around these first-graders and listen to their perspective on sports.” At the end of the day Tom Bowen surprised the whole classroom with official San Jose State Athletic t-shirts, pencils, and folders, as well as a soccer ball for the classroom. Miss Sarkee’s first-graders jumped at the chance of putting on the athletic t-shirts so they could share their Spartan Pride.
Campbell Rotary Club
Associate Athletic director Vince Otoupal was invited by Committee member Jerry Scott to be a guest speaker at Campbell’s Rotary Club on April 14, 2006 to President Dave Keller and many other Campbell Rotary Club committee members. Many long time donors and alums were in attendance including long time donor Herb Richards, who has donated very generously to the newly restored San Jose State Athletic Department. He has brought much financial stability to many programs such as men’s and women’s basketball, football and baseball.
Football Administrative Assistant Wendy Dunn - Notre Dame
On April 6, Football Administrative Assistant Wendy Dunn received an invitation to be a guest speaker at Notre Dame High School in San Jose during their Career Awareness Week. Wendy got to share and compare her experiences with professional and collegiate level sports as well as offer career advice on how to prepare the children for a career in athletics. Wendy said that it was great to go back to a place where she spent a lot of her time growing up and see how many changes at the school have been made and “hopefully there will be more opportunities like this in the future”.
Men's Basketball Coach Derrick Allen - Cupertino Middle School
On April 7, Men’s Basketball Coach Derrick Allen visited Cupertino Middle School to share his athletic experiences with sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. He wanted to stress to the students that they should never give up on any opportunities and chances that they may have in their middle and high school career. Coach Allen said that “it was a very eye-opening experience. The kids seemed pretty interested in what I had to say. Some of them even stood up the whole time while I was speaking; they could not wait to ask their questions.”
Assistant Athletic Director Ken McDonald - Leland High School
Wednesday, April 12, assistant athletic director Ken McDonald attended Leland High School’s career day in San Jose. Ken was chosen to participate in a Recreation/Sport career panel to talk to these high school students about his career in Division I intercollegiate athletics. Ken said that the students did an amazing job of paying attention and wanted to ensure that the students walked away with a feeling that they were capable of making anything possible. Ken left the group with one final thought, “find what you’re passionate about and stick with it, get to know people and take care of yourself. Life is way too short and there is no one way to get it done.”
Head Football Coach Dick Tomey - Cupertino Rotary Club
In April 2006, head football coach Dick Tomey was invited to be a guest speaker at Cupertino Rotary Club. He spoke to the members about the importance of communication not just on the football field but also in every day life. Chuck Devine, from the Cupertino Rotary Program Committee said that Coach Tomey made a positive impression and welcomed him to come back at any time
Walk A Mile In Her Shoes
On Wednesday April 20, the YWCA held this year's Walk A Mile In Her Shoes event, during Sexual Assault Awareness month. Six of our student-athletes showed up to walk and show their support so violence against women will stop. Lesley Ouellette (swimming), Rakine Toomes (football), David Eisenhauer (football), Brad Petersen (football), Al Guidry (football), and Donnie Richardsen (football) walked along the course carrying “GOOD MAN XING” and “Are you man enough to walk a mile in her shoes” picket signs.
Over 150 Spartans Participate in Pat's Run
On Sunday, April 30, over 150 Spartan student-athletes and staff volunteered for Pat's Run at Leland High School. The 4.2 mile race was sponsored by the Pat Tillman Foundation and was in honor of the late San Jose resident.
Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California - Coach Tomey
On Thursday, April 27, the 4th Annual Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California Scholarship Awards were held at The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco. Current San Jose State and former University of Hawaii head football coach Dick Tomey was invited to speak as the keynote speaker for the event. From 1977 to 1986, Coach Tomey steered Hawaii’s football team to a national ranking. Being part of this event was a huge honor for Coach Tomey and he looks forward to participating in other similar events in the future.
Arthritis Walk
On Saturday, May 6, 2006, student-athletes from the men’s basketball team and football teams volunteered their time to participate in the San Jose Arthritis Walk. The volunteers set up the registration tables and various booths before they took position on the start line.
Special Olympics Northern California
“Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
~Special Olympics Oath
On Sunday May 7, football senior Kinji Green participated in the 3rd Annual Stanford Spring Games for the Special Olympics. Kinji spent the past semester preparing the athletes, “SJSU Sea Spartans,” to take part in the Spring Aquatic games. Kinji and fellow coaches continued their dedication by volunteering on Sunday to cheer and motivate the athletes to victory. Over 20 athletes from Kinji’s class took medals in the day’s events. Kinji would like to recognize his Professor Janet Clair, “for this once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Horace Mann Elementary
San Jose State University’s men’s and women’s soccer teams joined Horace Mann Elementary in an after-school program on Friday, May 5 and Friday, May 12. The student-athletes shared with the participants from Horace Mann soccer skills, and also worked on team building exercises.
Lupus Foundation
On Sunday, May 21, 2006, San Jose State Athletics volunteered at the 12th Annual Run and Walk for Lupus. Wendy Dunn, Athletics Administrator, and ten student-athletes from the San Jose State football team spent the morning assisting the event by passing out t-shirts, beverages and goody bags.