Recently The East Meadow Soccer Club proudly presented some of our 2014 Graduating Seniors with a number of Scholarships.  The scholarships presented were;

Allison Schneider Sportsmanship Award- Allison Schneider was a player in the East Meadow Soccer Club whose life was tragically cut short when she was killed in an automobile accident involving a drunk driver.  Her family started this award given in memory each year to graduating high school seniors who were EMSC players who have have demonstrated Allison's spirit of True Sportsmanship and leadership both on and off the field.  

This years winners were:
Alexis Epstein -  East Meadow Dynamite, attended East Meadow High School

Ryan Lao - East Meadow Arsenal, attended East Meadow High School

Amanda Franzese - East Meadow Hurricanes, attended East Meadow High School

Kristyn Alonzo - East Meadow Dynamite, attended MacArthur High School 

Stan Ruppenthal Spirit of Volunteerism - Stan was the President of the East Meadow Soccer Club for ten years after which he continued to volunteer countless hours helping the club until his sudden untimely death 18 months ago.  Stan was the driving force behind designing and getting Field of Dreams built and was so proud when it opened almost 15 years ago.  Stan also volunteered countless hours helping run and grow both the EMSC Outdoor Summer Tournament and The EMSC Indoor World Cup Tournament for man years before, during and after his ten years as president.  This year the Nassau County Legislature voted unanimously to rename the site of our Field of Dreams in his honor to The Stan Ruppenthal Soccer Complex.  This award is given each year to a player who through the years has demonstrated Stan's spirit of Volunteerism by helping out at our many events.  This year's winner is Kristyn Alonzo

 

Maurice Marcott - Team Spirit Award -  Maurice was a former long time Board Member and coach of one of our first "premiere" teams who passed away 6 years ago.  Maurice was always upbeat and lit up any room he entered, in any situation.  This award is given in his memory to a player who exemplifies his love of life and has shown true Team Spirit during their years at EMSC.  This year's winners were Samantha Klein and Keon Miller.

Joe Rutt Outstanding Referee Award - Joe Rutt was a parent in our club who became one of the top youth referee instructors in the nation.  Joe taught referee courses all over New York State to thousands of referees and for many years trained our club intramural referees.  Joe passed away 5 years ago and this award is given in his memory to a player who has served as a referee for the club and for the leagues in a manner that would have made Joe proud.   This year's winners were JoJo Klein and Brianna Scaldeferri

Melissa's Rainbow of Joy Scholarship - Melissa Seigel was a former player in the East Meadow Soccer Club and for East Meadow High School whose life was tragically cut short when she was killed in an auto accident involving a drunk driver.  Her family started The Melissa's Rainbow of Joy Foundation in her memory and its goal is to promote awareness of the perils of drunk driving and to to help support the fight against drunk drivers.  The Melissa's Rainbow of Joy Foundation works with EMSC in trying to help several families in dire straits each year.  In addition, Mellissa's Rainbow of Joy started a scholarship in Melissa's memory which is given to a player who exemplifies Melissa's love of the game and her willingness to be a true team player and do whatever she could to help her team succeed.   The club supports Melissa's Rainbow of Joy by running the Melissa's Rainbow of Joy Tournament, the proceeds of which are donated to Melissa's Rainbow of Joy.  This years the scholarship was given to Alexis Epstein who is most truly deserving of this Award, as she has helped run this event since it's inception.