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St. John's Men's Lacrosse News |
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January 28, 2009
Red Storm Midfielder Spends Winter Break Rebuilding Homes In New Orleans |
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QUEENS, N.Y. (Jan. 28, 2009) – Instead of spending his winter break skiing or relaxing after a tough fall semester, Red Storm sophomore midfielder Mike Iorio of the men’s lacrosse team chose to spend his time amidst poverty and devastation as he traveled to New Orleans, La., with a team of 28 St. John’s students to aid in the ongoing rebuilding efforts following the disaster of Hurricane Katrina.
Iorio and two other St. John’s student-athletes, Renee Cloutier of the women’s golf team and Linzee Sumrall of the softball team joined a group of students made up of Student Government representatives, University Orientation Leaders, Resident Assistants and other student leaders from both the Queens and Staten Island campuses. The trip, which took place Jan. 5-10, was organized by Catholic Charities and Operation Helping Hands.
“It was a great trip for a good cause. We helped out a lot of people in many different ways. I thought we really made a difference down there. When Lucy [Pesce] mentioned it, I had an immediate interest,” said Iorio.
The sophomore from Sayville, N.Y., was used for a lot of the physical labor, which he enjoyed doing. He did mostly demolition work and painting of the seven homes that were assigned to the group of students were assigned to. Iorio also helped with the daily tasks such as weeding, washing windows and painting and caulking the exterior of the houses that were damaged by the 2005 storm. The student-athletes also went on a tour of the Lower Ninth Ward, the area most affected by the flooding when the levees broke.
“It was very clear that it was a tremendous experience for Mike,” said head men’s lacrosse coach Jason Miller. “I think he went down there under the impression that more would have been accomplished over the three years since Katrina. To see how much work still needs to be done was really an eye-opener for him.”
“The ‘roll up your sleeves and get down to work’ mentality of the lacrosse team was clear as no task was too large for Mike to handle without complaint. Many students commented to me that they were inspired by his willingness to do whatever had to be done,” said Lucy Pesce, Director, Leadership Development for Student-Athletes.
At the end of each day of service, the student-athletes participated in a reflection sharing period where they were sometimes able to connect with the homeowners and local residents of the neighborhood.
“The people we met and worked with told great stories about their experiences rebuilding. I was really impressed to see how everyone was nice and uplifting despite all the tragedy that happened,” remarked Iorio.
Iorio aims to return with St. John’s and the Catholic Charities in mid-May or in the late-summer, depending on how the lacrosse season pans out.
“When I go back, I am hoping to bring some of my lacrosse teammates to come with me, since it was such a fulfilling experience,” said Iorio.
Source: St. John's Sports Information
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