Monmouth Women’s Lacrosse Earns BSN Sports MAAC Community Spotlight Honors
Edison, N.J. (May 22, 2020) – The BSN Sports MAAC Community Spotlight will be a weekly feature of those giving back in an effort to make a difference in their communities. This week, the MAAC would like to highlight Monmouth University Women’s Lacrosse. Beginning in late March, each class and the coaching staff selected and then organized ways to support various communities as the COVID-19 pandemic entered its most dangerous time in the tristate area.
"We put an emphasis on our community service efforts this year and the importance of doing things that impact the world in a selfless and meaningful way," said Monmouth Head Coach Jordan Trautman. "I'm so proud of our players for all the extra work they put in off the field for these projects and hope we can continue to have these types of experiences and opportunities to enhance our program's culture of doing things that are bigger than ourselves."
It began with the coaching staff electing to send lunch one day to the nurses working at Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City.
"Serving the community is something the team wanted to focus on this year and we made helping others a priority," said senior Rachel Mills. "Now, more than ever, it is important to reach out a helping hand in whatever way possible. Providing meals and helping to fundraise for personal protective equipment was a way for us to say thank you and show our gratitude and appreciation for those working in hospitals. Our frontline workers make a commitment to serve others every day, and providing meals and PPE gave us the opportunity to serve them. We are very grateful for all of our essential workers, especially during this time."
Freshman Cassie James' class decided to donate to Feed the Front Line. The Tinton Falls, NJ native got the idea when a teacher at her mom's school started the organization. Feed the Front Line raises funds to provide meals to hard-working individuals at Jersey Shore Medical Center during this crisis. All donations are used to purchase food from local restaurants and food establishments and then delivered to the hospital. Their initiative also helps support struggling local businesses within Monmouth County.
The sophomore class raised $200.00 for Playa Bowls' Help Our Heroes fundraiser. The funds raised are used to buy bowls for local hospital/first responders and elders in the community.
When junior Kristen Olmstead found out that one of her two sisters, who are both nurses, was having her cardiac ICU step-down unit converted to a COVID ICU unit, she rallied the team to order lunch for them at Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick.
"All of us from Monmouth women's lacrosse are so thankful for the work that healthcare professionals and essential workers are doing on the front lines," said Olmstead. "With two of my sisters being nurses, this was extremely important to me and I am so thankful that my team was able to donate to their hospital."
The senior class rallied behind Shielding Our Frontline Heroes, which was organized by Rachel Mills' brother Michael. At the start of the pandemic in the United States many healthcare facilities were running out and re-using critical medical supplies like masks, gowns and goggles. The team donated $200 to get the much-needed medical supplies in the hands of the medical professionals at Atlantic Health System and RWJ Barnabas Health as soon as possible.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 39
th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.