The New Paltz Men’s Rugby Football Club (NPRFC) continued their participation in the local community by co-hosting a blood drive with the New Paltz American Red Cross Club for the third-straight year on Tuesday, Feb. 14 and Wednesday, Feb. 15.
The blood drive took place in the Student Union Building (SUB) Multi-Purpose Room from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on both days. The idea of co-hosting a blood drive with the Red Cross club came from Hawks head coach James Fryer ‘16.
“The club has been co-hosting the spring blood drive for three years now,” Fryer said. “The work the Red Cross does across our country is so admirable and impactful, we as a club want to take part in the generosity.”
When it comes to the blood drive, Fryer and his team realized the importance of the event and serving the local community.
“When it comes to the blood drive, the Hawks donate blood, yet the team as a whole feels its role in the cause must be extended, which is why we raise awareness and volunteer time to actually working at the event,” Fryer said.
Third-year captain Peter Randazzo agrees with his coach’s viewpoint on being generous within the community.
“We want to create a better reputation for our team,” Randazzo said. “We want more people on campus to know who we are and that we love this community and want to help it anyway we can. We’ve all been fortunate enough to go to college, and we would love to give back to the community that hosts us.”
This blood drive is not the only community event that the NPRFC will be involved with this semester. Aside from training for a number of competitive tournaments in April and May, the team is putting together a “personal hygiene product drive” on April 30 where they plan to donate food and personal hygiene products to the Hudson Valley Food Bank.
“We are calling it Swampfest, as we call our field ‘The Swamp’; And we’re inviting five or six teams to help donate to Hudson Valley,” Randazzo said.
The team also is planning on getting involved with St. Baldrick’s, where they will raise money and shave heads in the name of childhood cancer.
“We have an outstanding group of young men who love their community,” Fryer said. “Our presence in the community goes beyond entertainment, we strive to benefit the lives of the less fortunate. This brings us all together, building the characters of each athlete and inspiring us as a team. A lot of the time an organization will reach out to us, and then our participation becomes tradition.”