Women’s Bowling Alumnae Makes Donations to Fellow Terriers on the Frontlines of COVID-19 Pandemic
In true Franciscan spirit, St. Francis College Brooklyn women’s bowling alumnae Meghan Wing ’17 and Jamie Kelly ’17 came together to spearhead a group of fellow bowling alums that collected funds for donations to Terriers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The duo of Wing and Kelly identified several fellow bowling alums who are currently working on the frontlines of this global pandemic as medical professionals and first responders. From there, they began to contact former teammates and other bowling alums to collect funds for donations for the group of bowling alumnae working on the frontlines.
“Jamie and I were texting one night, seeing if either one of us had talked to some of the alums who are out there, and then we came up with the idea to donate food to them because, on social media, you see a lot of companies doing it. Coach Dawn has always told us that we will always be a team that everybody is always there for each other. All the alumni are connected. We have a St. Francis bowling group on Facebook, so it was really easy to talk to everyone whose ever been on the team since it first started,” said Wing as she discussed how the initiative started.
“It was interesting, because we’re pretty close with the girls that were on our team, and once we started this and reached out to Coach, we just found more people, alumni, that were in the healthcare field that we didn’t know about, we just kept adding more people. It’s just a way to show that we appreciate what they’re doing, with all that’s going on. It’s just a little way to give back to them,” said Kelly as she shared how they began to reach out to fellow bowling alums.
And so, it began. Wing and Kelly began to plan out how to use the funds they collected to help their bowling family. They were able to donate food from Guidas Pizzeria in Rochester to Emma Catone ’18, who is a Patient Care Technician at Highland Hospital. They sent food from Piazza Pizza to Julie Endo ‘06, an NYPD Officer in the K-9 Unit in Queens.
They then were able to successfully acquire and ship personal protective equipment (PPE) to Megan Kuehne ’18, who is a Registered Nurse. Lastly, the group was able to secure a donation of food from Terrace Bagelry and Deli in Islip Terrace for Jennifer Drzewucki ’17, who is a Chronic Care Manager at Long Island Select Healthcare.
“I think it’s important just because you don’t realize how the people in the field right now are feeling and what they’re going through, you only see what’s on the news and you don’t know exactly what they’re feeling. And sometimes, it can be hard to discuss, especially just because it’s still difficult to grasp what’s going on and for them to be at the frontlines of it. It’s just hard. We wanted to give back a little bit, so they know that they’re not alone in this and that we are by their side,” said Kelly on the importance of this initiative.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had its effect on the world in different ways. This group of Terriers has come together to support the bravest individuals who are working on the frontline day-in and day-out.
“A lot of that comes root through our four years at St. Francis. We learned about team building, always being there for each other, that the bond goes way beyond those four years at school. Once a Terrier, always a Terrier. We want everybody to feel like they’re always supported by all of us as well,” said Wing.
Terriers’ Head Coach Dawn Gugliaro has instilled tremendous values in her teams over the years, and that is evident by this latest initiative by her bowling family coming together to support one another during this difficult time.
“From the beginning of an athlete’s career at SFC, I call each year’s program family #10 or #13, or whatever year of the program it is. I preach as well as most other SFC coaches ‘family’ and how we take care of each other both on and off the lanes. My programs always reach out to the alumni and learn who they are. It’s times like this that truly drive home what your college athletic family is all about—taking care of each other all the time even after graduation. I’m so proud of the women who have been a part of this program, who continue to ‘pay it forward’ and take care of each other daily. Jamie and Meghan are true Terriers; they understand and practice the Franciscan way. Thank you to all our girls who donated and thank you to our workers in the frontlines. Terrier Forever!!!” Said Coach Gugliaro.
