STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph’s College athletes and athletics staff members visited the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at the Maine Medical Center in Portland on Thursday, December 9th.
The trip was a huge success for all involved, as a group of 33 student-athletes from 11 different programs and four staff members spent nearly three hours at the hospital spreading holiday cheer.
Two weeks before the trip, the SJC Athletic Training Staff began soliciting donations of toys and St. Joe’s apparel from fans at basketball games. The varsity teams at Saint Joseph’s raised funds for the purchase of gifts as well and, as a result of the giving nature of our teams and fans, the group bestowed a bounty of gifts upon the children during the visit.
Renowned singer/songwriter Rick Charette also attended the event and provided the group with his uplifting style of music. Everyone had smiles on their faces as the entire group sang along while he played songs on his guitar.
“The athletes left a lasting impression on the children, parents, staff and most of all on me,” adds Saint Joseph’s Head Athletic Trainer Neil Carroll. Watching these kids interact with children of numerous ages was one of the most rewarding times of my professional career.”
“I am very proud of our student-athletes, who acted as wonderful representatives for Saint Joseph’s College during our time at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital,” says Assistant Athletic Trainer Tiffany Miller-Gagnon. “I have a unique point of view with our athletes as I interact with them in the athletics setting as well as the academics setting…but yesterday I was able to see them in the big-brother/big sister setting. This was the first time I have been involved in an outreach like this since I’ve been at St. Joe’s and the experience was truly a blessing to me.”