Elms College Student-Athletes Answer Call Of Those In Need In Haiti

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) recently met its goal of having each student-athlete donate a minimum of $1 to help the relief efforts in Haiti.

An idea originally brought forward by head baseball coach Mike Leonard whose team was participating in “Pinch Hit For Haiti,” SAAC extended the idea to include all 15 of the Blazers’ athletic programs and received 100-percent participation.

The money raised by the baseball team will be donated to the “Pinch Hit For Haiti” program. Led by the charge of Elon University senior catcher Mike Melillo, who wanted to help in the Haitian relief efforts despite being confined to campus with preseason workouts, his team has challenged every NCAA collegiate baseball team to donate money to the Red Cross as part of a “Pinch Hit for Haiti” initiative. Fans are also encouraged to make a donation and can do so by visiting the following site: http://www.elon.edu/e-web/athletics/pinchitforhaiti.xhtml.

The money raised by Elms’ 14 other teams will be donated to Hands Together, a program run by executive director Doug Campbell out of Sacred Heart Church in Springfield. Hands Together is a nonprofit organization devoted to educating, inspiring and encouraging people to understand the importance of responding to the needs of the poor and disadvantaged.

To learn more about this organization and how you can help bring relief to Haiti, please visit this website: http://www.handstogether.org/.