Student-Athlete Mentor Program (SAM)
The Student-Athlete Mentor Program is comprised of volunteer representatives from many UWM intercollegiate sports.
The purpose of this program is:
- To design and implement programs that will encourage academic achievement, health promotion, social responsibility and general life skills awareness among student-athletes.
- To actively encourage the involvement of student-athletes in campus and community outreach projects and activities.
- To promote an awareness of UW-Milwaukee Athletics throughout the campus and the Greater Milwaukee area.
- To serve as mentors to incoming and returning UWM student-athletes through deed and action.
The UWM SAM has supported such community outreach programs and organizations as:
- The City of Milwaukee East Side Neighborhood Clean-Up
- National Give Us 4 Day
- The USMC Toys for Tots Program
- St. Ben's Community Meal Program
- The Special Olympics
- The Milwaukee Hunger Clean-Up Initiative
- The Fitzsimmons Boys and Girls Club of Milwaukee
- The Milwaukee Public Schools' After-School Tutoring and Mentoring Program
- The Badger Association for the Blind
The UWM SAM has also organized two campus and community-wide service events; the UWM Panther Pride Food Drive -- which benefits the Hunger Task Force of Greater Milwaukee and the UWM Panther Spring Cleaning Clothing Drive -- which benefits Goodwill Industries of Wisconsin.
During the Fall and Spring semesters the UWM SAM helps to sponsor, via the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program, professional speakers who discuss aspects of healthy living and responsible choice making. In the past, speakers have included Dr. Joel Fish and Mr. Hank Pietraczek.
