Pictured: The Sanford H. Calhoun High School football team.
Photo courtesy of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District
Sanford H. Calhoun High School’s football team was one of two programs to win the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Fall 2023 Community Service Challenge.
The team spent their season evolving into community advocates for cardiac screenings for young people.
The team hosted “Cardiac Screening” themed games and set up booths at community events to educate and raise awareness for the importance of cardiac screenings while fundraising for St. Francis Hospital’s Cardiac Screening Program.
In their philanthropic planning, it was important to the team to raise awareness about early screenings to detect abnormalities, since many are asymptomatic.
“I am extremely proud of our players, parents and school community in our attempt to bring attention to sudden cardiac death awareness,” said head coach Nick Rawls. “As a program, we wanted to highlight a cause that is unfortunately overlooked but is extremely important to bring attention to. Our players dedicated their time, energy, and effort to reach out to the community during games and at the Merrick Fair to help bring awareness and raise money for a worthy cause. They represented Calhoun with dignity and class and had a profound impact on those who they interacted with.”
Tommy Rossi, sophomore on the team with aspirations of being a doctor, acknowledged the impact he and his teammates made on their community. “Even if our efforts in bringing awareness to preventative cardiac screenings helps to save one athlete, we have made a difference.”
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