NEW HAVEN, Conn. - While this fall has presented many differences and challenges for athletics around the country, the Albertus Magnus College athletic department remains steadfast in its commitment to the four pillars of the college - community, prayer, service, and study. To make-up for a loss of athletic competitions, each of the athletic teams are participating in a different service project, including community clean-up, athletic lessons, and volunteering efforts.
The men's ice hockey team followed suit for this year's department-wide community service initiative and recorded stories for kids with disabilities. The team broke up into small groups of coaches and players and recorded themselves reading these stories out loud for special needs students, who sometimes require both visual and auditory aids for these readings. The recorded stories were then given to the Lighthouse School in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. The Lighthouse School is a non-profit human-services organization that serves the needs of students with a wide range of disabilities and is designed to promote total life development for the students, both in the classroom and at home.
"Giving back to the community is always something I take pride in, so when given the opportunity to give back by reading to the kids, it was a no-brainer," said sophomore forward Owen Allan (Ancaster, Ontario). "Wishing I was able to go into school and read to them, instead of voice recording, although it is the safest way to do so for now. I would like to make a connection with them by going into their school, and I am sure one day it will happen. I hope they enjoyed the story!"
Assistant men's ice hockey coach Brian Fahey mirrored the sentiment and said, "It means a lot that we as a program were able to help these kids. This was a safe and fun way for our players to help these students out."
The Lighthouse School stores all audio readings in an archived library for future use. Teachers then have the option of utilizing them for classes at any given time. Andrea Fahey, a special education teacher at the Lighthouse School, expressed her overwhelming appreciation for the commitment shown by the men's ice hockey team of Albertus Magnus College. "Thank you to the men's ice hockey team at Albertus for taking the time to record these stories for our students! These recordings will be a great addition to our audio library."
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About Albertus Magnus College
Albertus Magnus College, founded in 1925, is a Catholic College in the Dominican tradition. It is recognized by external rankings such as US News & World Report Best Colleges, Money Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education. The College has an enrollment of 1,500 students in its traditional undergraduate program, accelerated adult degree programs, and 12 graduate programs, including a new Master of Public Administration and the only Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling program in Connecticut. In the last year, the College received two significant Federal grants in support of student success and well-being: a $300,000 grant from the Department of Justice and a $1.9 million Title III grant from the Department of Education.
