ICView Magazine

Miles was only six years old when his father passed away. And though he lived with his mother and older sister, he remembers longing for a father figure or a sense of brotherhood. He had a lot of great adult coaches, but for some reason, he gravitated toward the presence of older boys, especially other football players like himself. “Those varsity guys, they could have been doing so many other things,” he remembered. “They could’ve been hanging out with their friends or doing whatever they wanted, but instead they were taking time out of their schedules to be there with me. That was super meaningful. Those moments really made me feel worthy and wanted.”\

Those players sort of occupied two extremes for Miles. In one sense, they were these immortal figures, but in another, they were increasingly accessible. He started to see glimpses of them in himself, and it slowly started dawning on him that he might even be able to be like them one day. And now he is. Each time he works with young people in Ithaca, it is like a time machine. He can picture himself at that age.

One day recently, he and three other players helped at GIAC downtown. “It seemed like it was really huge for them to see the football players and realize that they can be in our shoes one day,” he said. “I think it was really impactful for them. They loved it.”

It does not always take a heroic act to be a hero to some of the children, Miles said. “Just being who you are and being real with them, even if you’re just hanging out, it can really help,” he said. “When I was a kid, I went through a lot, and I know how much it meant to me to see those guys for a little while. So it doesn’t take much, just a little bit of time and effort.”

Some of the athletes, though, never get to see the lives they change. Emily Dorn ’23 was used to grabbing offensive rebounds as part of the women’s basketball team at IC. But just before winter break each year, she and her teammates helped families who were themselves rebounding. The nondenominational Elves program, founded 35 years ago at Cornell University, provides children with clothes and toys during the holidays.

The team collected money, and then Dorn, who was one of her team’s SAAC representatives, hit the stores. Last year’s recipient got a pair of sneakers and winter boots, some new clothes, a soccer ball, and a Nerf toy. The previous year, the team rallied to help two girls who loved pink and unicorns, purchasing some pink sneakers, stuffed animals, pajamas, and other items. “I balanced both clothes and toys to make sure they’d get everything they need, and I try to spend every last cent to make sure we make their holiday extra special,” said Dorn. “It felt great to support families in my new community.”

The women’s field hockey team coach, Kaitlyn Wahila, MS ’07, has a distinctive approach to community outreach, dividing the year into off-season and in-season projects. During the season, the team breaks into three smaller committees, with each focusing on an “awareness game” for a particular nonprofit. The student–athletes in each committee select the cause, write the script, and do all of the planning for a game during the season to draw community and student support, attention, and awareness for local, regional, and national associations and organizations. Often, their opponents and the visiting fans also help, especially in raising money, which is a secondary goal.

In the spring, the field hockey team shifts its focus to working and volunteering off campus, and once again, the student–athletes do all of the planning. Last spring, they went to the Ithaca ReUse Center and sifted through giant boxes of donated shoes, matching the pairs, cleaning them up, and attaching price tags.

“We had this little assembly line going,” Wahila said. “It was a great experience for our student–athletes because the workers who oversee the ReUse Center were really informative. They said it would have taken their workers forever to go through those huge boxes, so our student–athletes left that day thinking, ‘Wow, we did some really great work in the Ithaca community!’ I know that they were really proud, and it helps us, too, that a lot of team bonding was going on. “Service is def

Some athletes have even turned outreach into a career path. Women’s basketball coach Dan Raymond remembered when his team used to regularly play Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. Forward Shayna Gaskins ’17 had an aunt who taught elementary school in New York City, and for three years, the team would leave Ithaca a day early to visit her aunt’s classroom. During the team’s visits, the players talked to students about their experiences with academics and athletics at the Division III level and the importance of goal setting and attainment. The team also held basketball skills workshops in the gym.

For some athletes, helping in the community is not just cool. It’s downright cold—and definitely below freezing. Numerous athletic teams worked together last March for the Polar Plunge at Taughannock Falls State Park, raising more than $1,800 for Special Olympics New York. Miles and Dorn both took part.

“It was probably the worst conditions you could do it in. The winds were heavy, and it must have been around 30 degrees outside,” Miles recalled. In fact, the 10 mph winds meant the temperature was more like 27 degrees, and that was before they jumped into Cayuga Lake. “I mean, if there was ever a day to do a real ‘polar plunge,’ it was that day.”

It was for a great cause though, and yet another opportunity for student– athletes to make a difference. “Being in a small community like Ithaca, it’s so important to have strong ties to the community. These are the people who are coming to watch our games, and we definitely owe it to them to give back in our spare time,” said Miles. c