WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Student-athletes from the Pace University women's volleyball and football teams volunteered at the Jump Rope for Heart event at Church Street Elementary School on Friday, April 1.
The annual event is sponsored by the American Heart Association to bring awareness to heart disease and its effects on adults and children. The student-athletes participated and engaged in jump-roping skills with students in grades K-5 throughout the day.
Pace's student-athletes presented themselves as role-models and received great feedback from the students and their parents.
Pace University Assistant Volleyball Coach
Nora Rugova, who happens to also be a teacher at the school, Head Football Coach
Andrew Rondeau and Running Backs Coach
Joseph Hawkins made the volunteer opportunity possible for the teams. They were joined by
Mira Wallace (Oshkosh, WI/Oshkosh West),
Samantha Marquez (Palmetto Bay, FL/Miami Palmetto/Palm Beach State College),
Haley Kain (Huntersville, NC/William Amous Hough),
Amy Vicic (Surrey, British Columbia/Earl Marriott),
Miki Carver (Oceanside, CA/Fallbrook),
Sydney Lecker (Littleton, CO/Chatfield),
Elyssa Brattesani (Middletown,NY/Valley Central),
Nicolette Illuzzi (Manorville, NY/Eastport South Manor),
Abby Smith (Annapolis, MD/Broadneck) and
Kathleen Benson (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park) of the women's volleyball team, as well as
Kadeem Langhorne (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin),
Michael Ferraro (Middle Village, NY/Peddie School),
Issac Esson (Loxahatchee, FL/Seminole Ridge),
Marvin Jean Baptiste (West Orange, NJ/West Orange),
Robert Planter (Toms River, NJ/Manchester Township),
Marcus Louis (New Windsor, NY/Cornwall) and
Amari Lawrence (Ontario, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) from the football team.
The students at Church Street School were taught the importance of being "Heart Healthy" leading up to the event and how it relates to the skills of jumping rope.
Jump Rope for Heart Event was started in back in 2001. For more information, please visit the
Jump Rope for Heart Event home page, as well as the American Heart Association website at
www.heart.org.
