Schools
Lending a Helping Hand
POBJFKHS Students Create "Athletes Helping Athletes" Club to Help Lower Income Sports Programs
Plainview, N.Y. — Student athletes at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School (POBJFKHS) in the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District have come together to create Athletes Helping Athletes (AHA), a newly founded club that dedicates time to improving the sports programs of underprivileged schools.
“Sports are an important outlet in our lives, especially in the midst of a pandemic,” said Colin Jones, varsity head coach of boys’ lacrosse at POBJFKHS. “It has inspired us more than ever to help those who are not as fortunate as us.”
Despite being a first-year club facing many restrictions with the virus, AHA has successfully gathered about 95 students who share a common vision—helping the student-athlete community. The club’s first event was an equipment drive. Club members placed bins at the entrance of POBJFKHS for students to donate old sports equipment that they have accumulated throughout the years.
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About two months into the drive, the club has collected a variety of equipment. The next process of the drive begins in early February, where students will hold an inventory event for club members to properly sort and count all congregated equipment. This event also serves as a great opportunity for members to obtain community service hours, while also benefiting a special cause.
After all equipment is accounted for, AHA will organize a pickup time with their partnered organization, Level the Playing Field, which provides services to collect the equipment and distribute it to the sports programs that need it. Level the Playing Field's mission aligns directly with AHA’s—to help the sports programs of low-income schools.
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AHA plans on coordinating guest-speaking talks and mentoring sessions with students of the middle and elementary schools in the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District. These events will serve to encourage younger students to follow their passions, whatever they may be.
For more information about the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District, please visit the District’s website at www.pobschools.org. Exciting activities happening throughout the District and programs celebrating student achievement can also be found on the District’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pobschools/