From University of Rochester Athletics

Football players are sometimes honored for their performance in a given contest with presentation of a 'Game Ball'. In the case of Steven Spirakis at the University of Rochester, he is being honored for a longtime commitment to people away from the gridiron.
 
Spirakis has been named as one of 22 players on the AllState AFCA Good Works Team which stretches across all NCAA and NAIA Divisions. He is a junior placekicker for the Yellowjackets.
 
As a time-honored tradition for the past 29 years, Allstate and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) are recognizing 22 student-athletes and an honorary coach named to the 2020 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® for stepping up to help those in need. Annually, Allstate partners with the AFCA to spotlight student-athletes whose remarkable stories often go unnoticed.
 
"With so many unexpected challenges this year, it's inspiring to see this group of talented athletes use their voices and actions to make a difference in their communities," said Pam Hollander, vice president of consumer marketing for Allstate. "Allstate believes that celebrating positive change creates vibrant and resilient communities, and recognizing acts of kindness these players demonstrate is a vital part of our protection of college football and its traditions."

Whether founding a nonprofit to combat poverty, providing food to families hit hardest by COVID-19, working with youth on important social issues like bullying or organizing their teammates to take a stand against racial injustice, the class of 2020 is led by a new wave of college football stars helping their communities.
 
Spirakis, a resident of Garden City, NY (Garden City HS), worked with hospitalized pediatric patients and their families at hone on Long Island (NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, NY). The major event is a Swim-A-Thon. It has raised nearly half a million dollars ($450,000) since 2005. He and his brother discovered the Child Life Program at Winthrop Hospital and created the Teen Project to provide gifts for hospitalized teenagers who are often overlooked at holiday time. Last year (2019), he worked with the UR Medicine Golisano Children's Hospital on the University of Rochester campus holding a holiday fundraiser. Spirakis is majoring in Biomedical Engineering at the University.
 
"Steven has been a strong supporter of his community and a very solid citizen," said Dr. Ronald Marino of Winthrop Pediatric Associates in Mineola. "His growth as a student-athlete and community advocate provides hope in these times when collaborative leadership and connection is so critical."
 
Dr. Marino started an event in support of the hospital's Child Life Program 19 years ago. Spirakis and his family became deeply involved in the fund-raising event. He put in time promoting it, raising funds through his contacts, and bringing in friends to participate in the event itself. He also started a community service campaign called Teen Project.
 
Nicole Almeida, Director of the Child Life Program at NYU Winthrop, identified the Teen Project as "…an ongoing mission to empower teens to gove back and help others by participating in community service activities." One of the major focuses of Teen Project is the Holiday Gift Card Campaign. Spirakis funneled his efforts into the project which has continually raised the amount of gift cards and donations collected. All of the collections directly benefit the children on the pediatric floor Pediatric Intensive Care Unit as well as the Cancer Center for Kids.

The Holiday Teen Project Delivery. Steven is second from the right.
 
Spirakis has also directed his efforts to the Child Life Program at Golisano Children's Hospital, a part of the Strong Medical Center on the University of Rochester campus.
 
"In my 30 plus years, Steven was the first of the college football athletes that took initiative to host a fundraising drive for Golisano Children's Hospital," said Wendy Lane, the Child Life Coordinator. "Our program has not had any established relations with the team and there was a great deal of awareness and collaboration that needed to be done to host this drive."
 
"By himself, he reached out to his teammates and coaches to see if this would be possible," Lane continued. "He carried it through to the end and brought tremendous awareness to the community about the needs of the children here at Golisano Children's Hospital and the support to keep a hospital like this going. He established a relationship with Golisano Children's Hospital and taught other players the importance of supporting your community. I am truly impressed with the level of work that went into doing this, even while he was studying and playing."
 
The final roster was chosen from 149 nominees. Eleven of the 22 players are from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision; 11 are from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics; and one honorary head coach. Spirakis is one of four NCAA Division III players on the team. He is the only players from a college program located in the Northeastern United States.
 
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team was selected by a voting panel that includes two-time national champion (and former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Member) Tim Tebow and an Allstate representative, along with: Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1997, 1998 teams); Brian Brenberg (St. Thomas, 2001 team); Mike Proman (Amherst, 2002 team); Wes Counts (Middle Tennessee State, 1999 team); media members Blair Kerkhoff (Kansas City Star) and Paul Myerberg (USA Today); Gary Patterson (2020 AFCA president and Texas Christian University head coach); and Joe Taylor (2001 AFCA president and athletic director at Virginia Union University).
  
About the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team
The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team was established in 1992 by the College Football Association to recognize extra efforts by players and student support staff off the field. AFCA became the governing body of the award in 1997 and continues to honor players who go the extra mile for those in need. Allstate became the presenting sponsor starting with the 2008 season.
 
Since the recognition program began, the SEC leads all conferences with 76 athletes, followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference with 46, and the Big 12 Conference with 38. Georgia is in first place with 20 honorees, followed by Kentucky with 16. Super Bowl XLII, XLVI and XLI champion quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning were members of the 2002 and 1997 Allstate AFCA Good Works Teams, respectively.