Croton Harmon Student Athletes Encouraged to Stay Active and Healthy

The Croton Community Coalition is encouraging Croton Harmon High School students who participate in Junior Varsity and Varsity fall school sports to stay active and healthy so they can perform to the best of their abilities. In promoting the importance of health and wellness, the Coalition gave each athlete a sports bag and sports towel while fans were given a giant orange foam hand to demonstrate Croton Pride at games, matches, and meets.

“Our visibility at all the sporting events made the Coalition come alive for the student athletes and their fans. We wanted all the fall sports athletes to know the Croton Community Coalition encourages and supports a healthy lifestyle. Staying engaged and having a passion for sports is one way to help teens avoid drugs and alcohol,” said Laurie Dean, Croton Community Coalition Coordinator and Chairwoman.

Coalition volunteers, made up of community members and the Teen Leadership Council, attended a week full of sporting events during Homecoming Week to hand out the sport packs to boys and girls teams whether they were playing at home or away. In addition, the Coalition donated plastic keepsake cups with the organization's logo to the booster club for beverage sales at Spencer field during the Homecoming Football Game and handed out foam hands to fans touting Tiger Pride at all of the week's sporting events.

“The athletes work hard to keep their bodies fit so they can perform to the best of their abilities and our presence shows them that we care and that we support them. We are not lecturing to them, we are supporting them,” said Debi Braddick, Coalition member, who volunteered several times to hand out the Coalition's gifts to the athletes.

Jazmin Emmitt, a member of the Croton Harmon Teen Leadership Council and Cheerleader, said the foam hands she gave out at the sporting events were a big hit: “We got a very positive reaction handing out the foam hands. Everyone wanted more than one! It was so much fun to see everyone so excited to be a part of Croton.”

The initiative was developed by Laurie Dean and Thomas Cunningham, Director of Health, PE, Athletics and Wellness for the Croton-Harmon UFSD over the summer.

“The major message is to lead a healthy lifestyle which includes staying drug-free and making good decisions. Our student athletes can lead by example, by staying fit and by making good choices. The Coalition is a great resource for us and I am looking forward to partnering with the Coalition again in the future,” said Cunningham.

Senior Rory Parker, who is recovering from a sports injury, attended the Homecoming Football Game and is following Cunningham's advice: “For me, I am a three sport athlete recovering from a torn ACL, so I am going to physical therapy, eating well, and staying away from drugs, so I can have a stronger comeback, and be better than I was before (my injury.)”

The Croton Community Coalition is committed to having a positive impact on the health, well-being and future of Croton teens. The Coalition accomplish this through (1) education and outreach programs for children and teens about drug and alcohol use, (2) resources and fact-based information for Croton parents, (3) school-focused events, programs, and guest speakers that support a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle and (4) prevention initiatives for Croton businesses that serve and sell alcohol. For more information about the Coalition, please visit: www.crotoncoalition.com or email the Coalition at crotoncoalition@gmail.com or like the Coalition's Facebook page.