Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh hosts 11th annual Adopt-a-Family event
12/1/2009 3:32:00 PM | Athletics
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh student-athletes took the opportunity to give back to the community Tuesday evening as the Lehigh C.O.A.C.H. (Community Outreach by Athletes who Care about Helping) program directed its 11th annual Adopt-A-Family event inside Lehigh’s Hall of Fame, located in Taylor Gym. For this program, each athletic team at Lehigh adopted an underprivileged family to help share in the holiday season. The teams raised money throughout the semester to purchase holiday presents for their adopted family, and on Tuesday, the teams presented those gifts to their families. This year, Lehigh student-athletes raised nearly $30,000 for the event.
Craig Zurn, a junior on Lehigh’s football team, gave his thoughts on the entire evening. “It’s great to be able to give back to the families in the community that support us throughout the year. As a member of the C.O.A.C.H. program it’s always a treat to see the look on the families faces when they receive the presents.”
He continued, “I’ve been involved rather closely with the event this year because myself, Robert Tulcin, Isadore Carrie and Shane Ryan are the football team’s C.O.A.C.H. representatives so we were involved in a lot of the planning and coordination and to see it all come together tonight is amazing. It’s a great feeling to be a part of this event.”
The teams met with their families, as children were allowed to open some presents on the spot. Santa Claus was on hand to spread holiday cheer, along with Clutch, the Lehigh Mountain Hawk, and food and drinks were provided to make the evening special for all parties involved.
Liz Lucas, a freshman on the Mountain Hawks’ softball team may be new to Adopt-a-Family, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying the event as much as anyone in attendance. “It’s really cool to see the families open their gifts; it’s very rewarding. We put a lot of time into helping to raise the money, purchasing the presents and wrapping them, so it’s great to be able to interact and meet our families tonight.”
She went onto add, “Our family consisted of nine people which was the largest of any family here (tonight). Our team does a lot of off-the-field activities together so this was a good team bonding experience. We’re having fun together and getting a chance to give back; it’s a unique experience in that you get to see who you are helping directly and it’s not just one person, it’s an entire family.”
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By participating in community outreach programs, like Adopt-A-Family, many Lehigh student-athletes are doing their best to make a difference in the community around them.
Senior Taylor Castagna, from the men’s lacrosse team, offered his thoughts on the event. “It’s incredible. All the work that goes into this, to see it culminate with a night like this is just great. This is what the holidays are all about.”
He concluded, “Our team was very involved with the event. Of all the community service work our team does throughout the year this is one of my favorites and we’ve worked hard on it. Tom Hueber, Morgan Haller and me helped to coordinate our team’s effort and organize everything. It’s great to see the reaction of the families when they walk in. I really get a kick out of watching the families enjoy themselves.”
11th Annual Adopt-a-Family
