Mike Arduini has long enjoyed taking part in community service activities.
The recent Hun School graduate has helped out at a nursing home in Ewing the last few years in addition to working with HomeFront, a Lawrenceville-based organization that is working to end homelessness in Mercer County.
This Thursday night, Arduini will be toiling for another charity as he takes the field at The College of New Jersey for the West team in the 10th annual Sunshine Classic All-Star Game.
The proceeds from the game go to the Sunshine Foundation, a charity dedicated to granting the wishes of seriously ill, physically challenged, and abused children.
"It's a great honor to be picked for this game," said the 6'2, 285-pound Arduini, a powerful force on the Hun offensive and defensive lines over his career. "It's a great experience going against the guys from the CVC that I've heard about."
Coming into last fall, everyone was hearing about Hun and what a juggernaut the team figured to be in 2005. But hurt by some key injuries and overconfidence, the Raiders stumbled to a disappointing 4-5 mark.
While Arduini was frustrated by Hun's struggles, he gained some valuable perspective from the experience. "I learned that you can be a great team on paper but if you don't play hard you're not going to win," said Arduini, who served as a team co-captain last fall. "We suffered from some injuries and everybody was shooting for us."
It was quite a contrast from Arduini's junior year during which the Raiders went 8-1 and won the program's first Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) title.
"We all came from different backgrounds and we all loved playing the game," said Arduini reflecting on that stellar campaign. "On the field we had a winning is everything attitude."
Putting the wins and losses aside, Arduini felt he got something out of his Hun experience everyday he hit the field.
"I learned the value of hard work," said Arduini. "It was great to go against all those Division I players everyday in practice the last four years.
Arduini also learned a lot from his classmates off the field. "I'm definitely more open-minded," asserted Arduini. "I got exposed to various types of lifestyles, academically and socially."
This fall, Arduini will continue his education on and off the field at Hobart, a Division III football power located in Geneva, N.Y.
"It was the total package for me," said Arduini, who will be playing defensive line for the Statesman.
"The football program is really strong; it's been to the playoffs the last five years. Academically it suited me; I'm planning to study biology or chemistry."
Based on his stellar Hun career, Arduini figures to add a lot to the Hobart squad's chemistry.
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