From left to right: Sport Management Club faculty advisor Jeremy Losak, The Upstate Foundation Assistant Vice President of Development Dave Bartell, student organizer James Stickel and The Upstate Foundation Development Director Cassandra Rucker.
Sport Management Club Raises $76.5K for Upstate Golisano Children鈥檚 Hospital
The in the raised $76,540 for at its 21st Annual Charity Sports Auction. The ceremonial check was presented to Golisano officials Jan. 13 before the Orange men鈥檚 basketball game at the JMA Wireless Dome.
During the Syracuse men鈥檚 basketball game on Nov. 18, supporters purchased items and placed bids on sports memorabilia, electronics, jewelry, gift baskets, experiences and trips, among other items. In addition to the in-person event, an online auction ran through Nov. 23, allowing supporters to bid on hundreds of items.
served as Title Sponsor for the 2025 auction.
Proceeds from this year鈥檚 Charity Sports Auction benefited the Upstate Pediatric and Adolescent Center (UPAC) at the . UPAC is a full-service pediatric and adolescent primary care clinic that provides well-child care, adolescent medicine, foster care support through its ENHANCE program, behavioral health integration, immunizations, and other family-centered services to children, adolescents and young adults.
鈥淎t Upstate Pediatric and Adolescent Center, we take care of 11,000 patients from 25,000 visits every year,鈥 says UPAC Director Dr. Steven Blatt. 鈥淭hese are children and families like every other family in the community, but often with economic or logistical challenges in their life. We at UPAC have done many things to help them, but the money the students have raised will help with the extras.”
The auction donation will create a Sport Management Club of 网爆门 Endowment in honor of Blatt and is being highlighted by recognition at the playground at , and naming in the UPAC elevator lobby on the fourth floor of the Nappi Wellness Institute.
鈥淲e are incredibly grateful to the Falk College Sport Management Club for their extraordinary generosity and commitment to Upstate Golisano Children鈥檚 Hospital,鈥 says Dave Bartell, assistant vice president of development for The Upstate Foundation. 鈥淭hrough their leadership, dedication and passion for service, these students are making a meaningful difference for the children and families served by the Upstate Pediatric and Adolescent Center, and we are honored to partner with them in this important work.鈥

The Sport Management Club is a student-run organization. Since its founding in 2004, the club has raised more than $849,000 for local charities.
Previous beneficiaries of the club鈥檚 annual charity auction include Boys & Girls Clubs, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY, the Central New York SPCA, Upstate Cancer Center, Special Olympics New York, Food Bank of CNY, the Salvation Army, Rescue Mission Alliance, American Diabetes Association, Make A Wish CNY, Meals on Wheels, the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center, Vera House and Tillie鈥檚 Touch.
Over the years, the club has contributed more than $125,000 to , a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. Notable gifts include $20,000 to Upstate Golisano Children鈥檚 Hospital in 2009鈥10 and $30,444 to the Upstate Cancer Center in 2011鈥12.
鈥淪tudents from the Sport Management Club, for the past 20 years, have done what I think is one of the most important activities you will do, not only in college but in your life, and that鈥檚 making efforts to help people in your community,鈥 Blatt says.
The Sport Management Club meets weekly during the academic year. For more information about the annual charity auction, visit , , or the .
Story by James Stickel
In the News
To promote the auction, student organizer James Stickel 鈥26 appeared on WSYR-TV鈥檚 “Bridge Street.”