HAMILTON – Colgate Athletics has a long tradition of not only excelling in the classroom but in Division I athletics. What most people don't know about our student-athletes, however, is that they are constantly giving back to the local community.

The Raiders interact with the community in such programs as Adopt-A-Classroom, Skate with the Raiders, and Junior Raiders. Joe Leo '01 saw an opportunity to yet again bridge the relationship between Colgate Athletics and the outside community.

“Colgate is a very special place for me,” Leo said. “I met my wife there; she is also an alum. What kind of happened was I knew that a lot of our sports teams are involved with the local community, that's actually one of the things that makes me very proud to be an alum. Some of the work they do with the youth and the buddy programs make Colgate a very special place. When I got involved with Pathfinder Village, it just seemed like a natural fit between the two.”

Located in Edmeston about 40 minutes away from the beautiful campus of Colgate lies Pathfinder Village, a facility for adults and children who have Down syndrome. Pathfinder houses adults as well as commuter students who attend classes during the day.

Leo reached out to the basketball programs to inform them about this amazing organization.

“I put them in contact with Charleen (Orendorff) and they just went with it, setting everything up to make sure the visit happened,” Leo added. “I know the value of athletics at Colgate and I wanted to join forces with not only the university and Pathfinder, but the athletics department as well. I experienced being an athlete at Colgate when I played golf for four years and I know the student-athletes there are special.”

Colgate head coaches Matt Langel and Nicci Hays Fort jumped at the opportunity to travel to Pathfinder and engage their teams in a basketball camp with the residents. 

"When our staff first heard about Pathfinder Village we were excited about the opportunity for our student-athletes to visit," Langel said. "After spending an evening with the quality staff and residents, I am confident in saying that the time was extremely well spent and beneficial for everyone involved. Pathfinder Village is an extraordinary program and we look forward to growing our relationship in the future"

Both coaches just finished their second year at the helm of their respective teams and along with teaching the game of basketball, they like to instill a sense of giving back to the community.

“We want Colgate basketball to be a part of the Pathfinder Village community,” Hays Fort said. “And that means reaching out and making a difference in people's lives. It's something our student-athletes have embraced and truly enjoy being a part of when we have the opportunity to visit."

Colgate and Pathfinder are very similar in some ways. They are both top-notch private schools with great facilities. Pathfinder happens to have a number of top Special Olympics teams in a number of different sports in the state.

The basketball teams visited Pathfinder's state of the art basketball court on April 23. The day after the teams were there, almost every resident was wearing their Colgate basketball t-shirt, given to them by the student-athletes.

“It's a wonderful relationship at many different levels,” Leo said. “I feel like I've been able to help facilitate that because of my passion for both places. 

Orendorff, the programming director for Pathfinder, added that it was really great to have the teams come to campus. She said the residents were amazed at what the players could do and how good they play basketball. Orendorff believed it was a very positive experience for not only the residents but for the athletes as well. She said that just because they have a disability doesn't mean they're any different.

Leo also spoke of how much the residents at Pathfinder enjoyed spending the day with the basketball programs.

“They loved how tall the players were and they loved that they were interested in them,” he said. “From an alumni prospective, I thought to myself when Colgate's student-athletes or students leave, they're entering a world that is much different than what they've experienced at Colgate on a lot of levels. They are entering a world where developmental disabilities are a reality, whether they are affected by them personally or someday will be affected by them personally.

“Almost every one of them will know a child or family member who is autistic for example. If we have the opportunity to bridge that gap now, when they are comfortable interacting with people with developmental disabilities, what a perfect way to socially engineer those relationships that everyone benefits from.”

The relationship between Pathfinder Village and Colgate has grown into something very special. The university has had students volunteer during spring break and spend their time with the residents, and now this type of interaction with the basketball programs only makes the bond stronger.

Pathfinder has already had a bond with the hockey teams on campus by allowing the residents to meet the players, wear their helmets, and by hosting games in support of autism. Now that the basketball teams hosted a personal clinic, it only makes the residents feel as though the student-athletes on campus truly care about them.  

Orendorff added that she hopes all the athletic teams could get involved with the organization in the future. She believes it would truly be a great experience for the residents and the student-athletes.

Colgate and Pathfinder have built a bond together that is much bigger than one event each athletic season.

Leo said that it's almost a selfish kind of union he has brought together these two organizations.

“The residents at Pathfinder and the students at Colgate can be vastly different in a lot of ways, but there are similarities. And their love for sports is one of them. I always felt like our student-athletes are some of the most well rounded students at the school, because of their experiences with things like this.”

To find more information about Pathfinder Village, please click here.