Salesian Center at DeSales Unites with Lehigh Valley Coalition on Sports Ethics
The Salesian Center for Faith and Culture at DeSales University recently began a partnership with the Lehigh Valley Coalition on Sports Ethics (LVCOSE), an organization founded in 2003 to educate athletes, coaches and parents about the importance of creating a positive environment in youth sports.
The Lehigh Valley Coalition on Sport Ethics grew out of concern from parents, coaches, athletes, referees, and administrators in the Lehigh Valley about ethical issues in sports. In 2003, Dr. Robert Strauss coordinated an event that recommended the formation of an organization in the Lehigh Valley that would bring attention to issues of sport ethics.In January 2004, Dr. Strauss and Bill Diehl, then president of the Forum for Ethics in the Workplace, established a sport ethics arm of the Forum, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of DeSales University in 2006 with the Salesian Center managing its work. The Coalition completed their connection to the Salesian Center in July 2007.
"Our mission is to assist athletes and others involved in the world of youth sports including parents, coaches, administrators and officials, by promoting a set of expectations, behaviors, and ethical standards that foster personal growth and character through participation in sports," said Linda Naylor Dench, president of Dench Counseling Sports and Wellness Center and chairperson of the LVCOSE board. "This partnership is a great fit because there is symmetry in mission and activities, it gives LVCOSE broader reach in terms of audience, and allows us to expand our offerings and improve the day-to-day management of our coalition."
The Advisory Board of the Coalition will continue to formulate policy, programming and direction. Reverend Thomas Dailey, OSFS, director of the Salesian Center for Faith and Culture, will guide the administration and management functions of the Coalition.
"The guiding principle of the Salesian Center, as St. Francis de Sales taught centuries ago, is that a good and holy life is not lived apart from the world but in and through the state-in-life that each person enjoys, which in this case means on the athletic field," said Dailey.
"By uniting with the Salesian Center, the Lehigh Valley Coalition on Sports Ethics can enhance its reach to families, athletes and coaches on sports ethics issues and provide guidance, encourage discussion and inspire action for change," said Dailey. "We hope that the legacy of Salesian Spirituality and the long and rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching will be of benefit to the activities of the Coalition," he added.
Additional LVCOSE leadership includes: vice chairperson, Steve Ragosta, retired from the Parkland School District; Finance Committee chairperson, Tommy Ochs of Jennings Transportation; Membership Committee chair, Charles Salvaterra, a teacher at Parkway Manor Elementary School in the Parkland School District; Program Committee chairperson, Reverend Douglas Burns, OSFS, director of the Sport and Exercise Science program at DeSales University; Research Committee chairperson, Douglas Hochstetler, associate professor of kinesiology at Penn State, Lehigh Valley; Mary Guarino, head coach, DeSales University Women's Soccer; and Stephanie Pawlewicz, auxiliary services coordinator at DeSales University.
The Salesian Center for Faith and Culture was established in 2000 to promote the interaction of faith and culture, in a mutually beneficial engagement, through academic initiatives that focus on the integration of social concerns and gospel values. The Center supports intellectual activity in research, dialogue events and partnership programs. By its collaboration with the Forum, the Salesian Center is able to extend its mission of social engagement into the corporate world and is able to capitalize on the working relationships that the Forum has already established in the business community.
For more information about LVCOSE programming for 2007 or information on how to become a member, visit the Salesian Center Web site at www.desales.edu/salesian or call 610-282-1100, ext. 1244.
Press Release: Salesian Center at DeSales Unites with Lehigh Valley Coalition on Sports Ethics | Posted on: 9/7/2007
For more info:
Tom McNamara, Executive Director of Communications
DeSales University | 2255 Station Avenue | Center Valley, PA 18034
610.282.1100 x1219 | Tom.McNamara@desales.edu |
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