Members of baseball team volunteer at Giants’ game

On the 12-year anniversary of the  Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, six baseball players spent a national day of remembrance volunteering for a worthy cause in the city of San Francisco.

Trudging up and down the aisles of the AT&T Park, the team spent several hours selling ice cream to Giants’ fans for Juma Community Day.

Juma Community Day at AT&T Park is sponsored annually by Juma, a non-profit organization that provides low-income students with college financial aid. Juma raises the money through volunteers who attend sporting events like San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s games as vendors.

Junior Samir Ramakrishnan, a member of the baseball team, contacted Juma out of an interest to help the organization. Ramakrishnan recruited six additional volunteers from the baseball team: senior Drew Kriens; juniors

Adin Roskoph, Sachin Bettadapur and Philip Carlier; and sophomores Ryan Caini and Michael Schillage.

Principal Paul Robinson and baseball coach Adam Varteressian permitted the seven students to take the day off school because "it was such a worthy cause," according to Ramakrishnan.

During four hours of selling ice cream at the game, the students raised more than $1,500.

“All of this money was going to low-income kids and we felt a sense of accomplishment,” Ramakrishnan said. “Volunteering is always a heartwarming task and it is extra special when it is done during a sporting event such as a Giants baseball game on an important day such as September 11.”

The volunteering experience made Ramakrishnan grateful for what the school provides, and he plans to continue volunteering with Juma in the coming years.

“Saratoga High School is a renowned academic institution with a great staff and superb facilities,” Ramakrishnan said. “However, sometimes we forget that many kids don’t have these vital tools. Together, we can help bring the gift of education to those in need.”