Last month, Berkeley College donated over 400 toys to children in need as part of their annual December giving initiative. The two organizations receiving the gifts were Toys for Tots and St. Joseph’s Children Hospital in Paterson, NJ.
Organized in a joint effort from the Berkeley College Office of Student Development and Campus Life, the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, the Berkeley College Athletics Department and the Alumni Association, the event proved to be a huge success, achieving its goal of helping those in need.
“The word on the back of our warmup shirts is ‘Culture,’ and I feel that part of Berkeley College’s culture has always been to give back to the community,” said Jonathan Pena, Head Coach, Men’s Basketball team. “Our student-athletes were proud to be a part of this initiative, and hopefully we were able to put smiles on the faces of many children this holiday season.”
The student-athletes of Berkeley College played a crucial role in this year’s drive, with many making several donations in order to demonstrate their support. Their dedication to helping those in need earned well-deserved praise from coaches across the school.
“Our student-athletes put a lot of thought into giving back to the community, and more specifically, the children whose Christmases might be made a little bit better with these donations,” said Candice DeRisi, Head Coach, Women’s Basketball team.
“The Berkeley College Knights take a tremendous amount of pride in giving back to the community and putting smiles on the faces of those less fortunate,” said Bruno Ferreira, Head Coach, Men’s Soccer team. “It is our civic duty to always help people in need.”