Philadelphia – The Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University) athletic department totaled 3,759 community service hours for the shortened 2019-20 academic year, continuing the culture of Jefferson student-athletes giving back to their communities. The Rams were on pace to break last year's total of 4,925 hours volunteered but the semester was cut short due to 2020 COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic.
"We have increased our community engagement as an athletic department each year since 2015 and this year would have been the best year by far," said Coordinator of Community Engagement and Head Baseball Coach Pat Horvath. "We have built great relationships with Athletes Helping Athletes, Special Olympics Pennsylvania, Beats for Bella, Team IMPACT and Erving Youth Basketball Experience. With these partnerships, our athletic department has been able to have a greater impact on the youth in our area. The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) did a tremendous job this year of hosting and organizing our community engagement events."
This year, Jefferson SAAC hosted the 4th Annual Athletes Helping Athletes (AHA) Fun Day. For the third year, Jefferson hosted the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Elementary/Middle School IUS Bocce Championship. Members from each of the Rams' 17 teams participated in the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Polar Plunge. The Rams participated in and hosted the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Youth Summit for the second year in a row.
Additional highlights included the women's basketball team volunteering at the Erving Youth Basketball Experience for the fifth consecutive year. The men's basketball team drafted Bobby, the third Team IMPACT athlete for the Rams, joining the Team IMPACT member that baseball and men's basketball drafted last year. The women's basketball team drafted four-year-old Rose, the second team to have a Friends of Jacklyn Foundation member (FOJ).
