Photo Gallery

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – On Sunday, Oct. 2, the State University of New York at New Paltz men’s basketball team assisted in organizational efforts and clean-up for the village of New Paltz’s “Flood Aid” concert event. “Flood Aid” was formed to benefit local farmers, families and first responders directly impacted by the effects of Hurricane Irene.

Sunday’s event marked the first in a series being put on by the group to promote awareness of the damaging effects that the floods have had in the New Paltz area. Six well-known bands performed while local chefs prepared food for the large crowds. The event raised $11,000, which will go toward the farms that were destroyed because of the storm’s flooding.

Senior captain Jermain Wallace coordinated the team’s effort at the event. Players spent several hours moving tables and chairs, helping the bands set up their sound equipment and cleaning up trash from the event. This is the first of many community service endeavors that the team will be participating in, as they plan to demonstrate a commitment to serving others and the community under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Rejniak. The team’s next community outreach activity will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 5, when it will assist with the school’s “Up ‘til Dawn” event to benefit the St. Jude’s Children Hospital.

“The flood really took a toll on the local farmers and the local economy,” Rejniak said. “Immediately after the flood, Jermain came to me and wanted to see if the team could help out in some way. We wanted to find avenues to help out the community, knowing how devastating the floods were to the area, and this was a perfect opportunity for us to give our time and energy toward the rebuilding efforts. We wanted to help out by organizing, cleaning up and doing really anything they needed us to do.”