The Syracuse University Sport Management Club donated $30,444 to the Upstate Cancer Center at Upstate Medical University as a result of its most successful annual sport auction in December 2011.

Upstate will benefit from the donation by putting the money toward two projects, said Kate Veley, adviser of the Sport Management Club. The first project will be creating a patient nourishment station, and the other will be to build a two-sided fireplace in the main waiting area for radiation oncology.

‘This gift would have such a large impact on such a large amount of people,’ Veley said.

Since the club was founded in 2005, it has donated more than $155,000 to charities in Central New York, according to a Feb. 27 SU News release. This year’s auction generated bids on 444 items, including SU athletic apparel, among other things.

The Sport Management Club comprises nine committees, including a philanthropy committee. This group was responsible for researching several charities that would fit the club’s criteria for selection, said Tiffer Valente, the auction chair of the club.
The selection criteria was composed of five points, including where the charity is based, what the money would be used for and whether the charity has a definite need for financial support, among others.

Valente said the Upstate Cancer Center fit the criteria, and the club members voted to give the donation to the center.
The club’s mission statement is ‘to provide an experiential learning opportunity that allows Syracuse University students to enhance their sports industry experience through community service and philanthropic support that serves the University and the greater Syracuse communities,’ Valente said.

The auction was a culmination of the mission statement, and Valente said the Upstate Cancer Center will undoubtedly serve the greater Syracuse communities and beyond. Valente was responsible for making sure the club met the $20,000 pledge to the Cancer Center. He said each committee was responsible for a certain part of the auction.
‘It was my job to keep them motivated and on track,’ he said.

Each year the auction has grown, which Valente said is a product of the groundwork laid out by club members of previous years.
‘We feel that doing what we can to give back to the community is just a small showing of our appreciation and gratitude,’ he said.

The nourishment station is scheduled to open in fall 2013, and the goal of the club is to keep them on track for opening on schedule, Valente said. Putting on the event was another way of generating awareness for the center and helping people become more aware of their campaign, he said.

Upstate Cancer Center will be the region’s most comprehensive resource for the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship of cancer and related disorders, according to the release.

Drew Altavilla, a senior and co-chair of the auction, said the overall goal was to benefit the Syracuse community and raise awareness.

Said Altavilla: ‘Every one knows someone that has been affected by cancer, and this is a great way to get the message out to the people.’

nrcardon@syr.edu 

Published on March 18, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Nick: nrcardon@syr.edu