As a member of the State University of New York at New Paltz baseball team, Timothy Brosnan saw the perfect opportunity to help a great cause.

With the guidance of The Icla da Silva Foundation Community Representative Natasha Mincy and Hawks coach Arlan Freeman, Brosnan helped organize a Marrow Registry Drive on the SUNY New Paltz campus Nov. 14 and 15. Through the 'Be The Match' registry, the team helped garner more than 100 life-saving signatures.

"I was beyond impressed with the cooperation and passion [from the] baseball team," Mincy said. "These guys did such an amazing job getting the word out and signing up donors."

The Icla da Silva Foundation's mission is to save lives by recruiting bone marrow donors and providing support services to children and adults with Leukemia and other diseases treated by marrow transplants.

The non-profit foundation was originally created in memory of 13-year old Icla da Silva, who battled for two years with Leukemia before passing away. She came to New York City in search of the necessary life-saving bone marrow transplant treatment, but never found a matching donor.

"I can safely say that the best way to learn about an organization like 'Be The Match' is to volunteer and sign people up," Brosnan said. "I could see my teammates get discouraged when people would just walk right past them and ignore them when they were trying to get their attention, but this seemed to motivate them more. Before you knew it there was a swarm of people at the table ready to register."

Best friends with her son and nephew back in their home town of Long Beach, NY, Brosnan had known Mincy for years, and when she initially got involved with 'Be The Match' Brosnan was excited to sign up and help anyway he could.

"Over time, I saw she was running these marrow drives at different colleges across the county and they were hosted by a fraternity, a sorority or even a college team," he explained. "I brought up the idea to her that maybe New Paltz Baseball could host one of these drives and she loved the idea. I spoke to coach Freeman and he was very helpful with getting in contact with the right people to get this operation to run smoothly and professionally."

The Hawks baseball team, which all signed up as donors themselves, had three to five players at the Student Union Building at all times from 12-6 p.m. Tuesday and 12-3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. They created signs and encouraged students, faculty and staff to take five minutes of their time to sign up.

"We were grateful to register 100-plus potentially life-saving donors through the 'Be The Match registry'," Mincy said. "We are thankful for the support of Coach Freeman and the team, and even President [Donald P.] Christian took time out of his busy schedule to show his support. I would encourage all student athletes to join the cause. Of course, I would be more than happy to help."

Through 'Be The Match Registry', The Icla da Silva Foundation have registered more than 500,000 bone marrow donors. Since its inception, the Foundation has helped more than 600 bone marrow transplants and assisted more than 2,000 patients and their families with emotional, logistical and financial support.

"One day, whether it's five months from now or 20 years from now, there is a possibility that I get a phone call from 'Be The Match' saying I am a match, and I could save someone's life if I am still up for it," Brosnan said. "I know I will still be up for it and hopefully that day comes."

To learn more, or are interested in registering, go to join.bethematch.org/marrowmatters.