FRANKFORT, Ky. — Before they begin play in the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championships, members of the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens took time Tuesday morning to give back.

During national tournament week, student-athletes are given the chance to participate in outreach events through the NAIA Champions of Character program. These events allow the student-athletes to give back to the community that hosts the event.

For members of the Flying Queens, that meant taking time to read with students at Peaks Mill Elementary School.

The Champions of Character program is designed to help instill values that build character so students, coaches and parents know and do the right thing on and off the field.

The 18th-ranked Flying Queens (20-11) open play in the 32-team tournament by taking on 15th-ranked Lewis-Clark State College (26-5) of Idaho at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Frankfort Convention Center.

Live streaming of all Flying Queens games, as well as the Pioneers’ national tournament games from Kansas City, Mo., will be shown for free at the Laney Center on the Wayland campus. Private cost to watch streaming is $24.95 for a tournament pass or $9.95 for a single day.

For more information, go to www.naia.org.

Source: http://www.myplainview.com/sports/article_2f411562-aede-11e3-b74d-001a4bcf887a.html

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. – On Wednesday morning, twelve Grande Sports Academy student-athletes volunteered at Oasis Pavilion Nursing & Rehabilitation Center’s Spring Carnival. The participating GSA volunteers were paired up at different stages and helped in various games.

The GSA student-athletes helped the residents in eight different games that included: basketball throw, duck fishing, putt-putt golf, lollipop pick, ring toss, cornhole, toilet paper toss, three-bucket toss and sticker grab. One resident gave away palm readings, and a handful of the GSA participants enthusiastically had their palms read.

Student attendees: Danny Acosta, Corey Baird, Luis Barraza, Matthias Binder, Kiuno Cann, Kris Fourcand, Leo Fuchs, Jose Hernandez, Moises Rodriguez, Sebastian Saucedo, Miles Stray, and Te Wihongi.

Grande Sports Academy – Matthias Binder“It was very helpful because we had one in the fall and it was basically our volunteers and the employees,” said Tammy Nite, “It worked out well because it’s not as busy as before and the residents look forward to meeting to new people. They get excited about it and were very thankful to have the GSA players here.”

Near the end of the carnival one resident challenged two of our student-athletes to an arm-wrestling contest and won both attempts. Senior Corey Baird, future Stanford University men’s soccer midfielder and current member of the “GSA 4.0 GPA Club”, spoke highly of the event saying, “I’m just really happy to be here with all my teammates and it feels really good to give back to the community. It brings us all together to do something good in helping out people.”

WILMINGTON, North Carolina- Students at UNCW enjoy comfortable living accommodations on campus and in the surrounding area, while many aspiring home owners in the Cape Fear Region struggle to find suitable homes for their families.

The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hopes to build a stronger relationship in the community by continuing to encourage student-athletes to volunteer with Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity.

Since becoming chancellor in 2012, Gary Miller has stressed the importance of building mutually beneficial partnerships and positive relationships in the community. Last year, UNCW engaged in more than 178,555 hours of service through 714 documented partnerships.

DN Cherry, a senior on the women’s track and field team, is the Community Service Chair for SAAC and began volunteering for Habitat several years ago. She proposed the idea of UNCW student-athletes serving as the primary builders of a Habitat house.

“Volunteering was fun, but it was kind of an eye opener,” said Cherry, from Greenville, N.C. “We’re out there on site from morning until mid afternoon, all working on various jobs that we are taught by the site coordinators. Building the house and helping people at the same time was really rewarding.”

Habitat for Humanity provides affordable housing for those in need. Homeowners assume a zero percent interest mortgage and work on their home and other families’ homes. The work creates a true commitment to ownership from the homeowner and helps them make a better life for their family.

The construction process for a Habitat house is quick, with the help of numerous volunteers and donations. A home usually takes four months to build. UNCW’s student-athletes are helping to build a house at 1403 King St. in Wilmington.

“We have 30 volunteers build on 10 Saturdays,“ said Jessica Loeper, Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Coordinator. “It takes approximately 750 volunteers to build one Habitat home.”

Several members of UNCW’s Student-Athlete Support Services staff, along with the volleyball, men’s soccer, men’s cross country and women’s cross country teams, have already volunteered their time.

“We installed sub-flooring and wall frames and the team worked along side the new homeowner, building contractors and hopeful future habitat homeowners,” said Volleyball Head Coach Amy Bambenek, who added that the experience “allowed our players to see first-hand that their work really does make a positive difference in other people’s lives.”

Will Libous, SAAC advisor, worked with Cherry to organize the volunteer efforts by more than 60 UNCW student-athletes. Cherry and Libous have both volunteered with Habitat previously and are enjoying working on another home.

“Everyone looked to be having a good time,” said Libous. “It helped to know that what we were doing was for a great cause and supporting the Wilmington community.”

Despite time constraints with classes and practice schedules, the student-athletes have managed to work in time at the house. “Once athletes get out there, the response has been great. Everyone loves it and works really hard,” said Cherry.

Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity’s goal is to build 12 homes each year in New Hanover and Pender counties. The organization has helped more than 150 families in the Cape Fear area since 1987.

With the continued support from UNCW, Loeper believes that Habitat can support even more families in the Wilmington community. She hopes the recent efforts by the student-athletes will lead to future involvement.

Libous also looks forward to the continued relationship with the organization. He believes this will create a closer bond between the community and the university.

“As with any involvement the student-athletes have in the Wilmington community, it shows that they are committed to giving back to this great community, which gives so much support to UNCW and the athletics department,” said Libous.

Construction on the house continues this spring, with completion scheduled sometime in May. The volleyball, men’s soccer, men’s cross country and women’s cross country teams have raised walls and installed vinyl siding.

“It’s apparent that the student-athletes involved have a true desire to help our Habitat homeowners,” said Loeper, “and they are making a difference in life of this homeowner and her family.”

The East Coast Conference will be holding its Annual Carnival at Molloy this Saturday.

The carnival is free for children of all ages and will have contests, games and prizes!

The carnival goes from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Quealy Gymnasium.

Please RSVP to Leslie Busch, ECC Associate Commissioner at lbusch@eccsports.org.

Coming full circle for many athletes ends with giving back to the community and to the game that they love. For Pacific University’s baseball and softball student-athletes, that meant helping the younger generation of ballplayers by passing on the skills they know and use now.

The Pacific softball team held their third annual youth camp on Nov. 24, 2013 for players in the 12U and 10U age groups while the Pacific baseball team held their youth camp on Feb. 1, 2014 for ages 7-13.

Originally, the softball team held camps as a fundraiser to help supplement their budget but continues to do it because it has become a tradition.

The softball team holds a youth camp and a high school camp. The high school camp serves as a form of recruiting while the youth camp is mainly for the kids and the community.

This year was the first year since 2010 that the Pacific baseball team has held a youth camp. Previously, they were directed by Pacific University Baseball Head Coach Greg Bradley. With 2014 being Bradley’s last coaching season, two new assistant baseball coaches have taken over for putting together the youth camps.

Camp director Aaron Svarthumle and Nate Rasmussen are both former Pacific baseball players and are in their first season as assistant coaches.

Pacific University Softball Head Coach Tim Hill feels that the teams’ involvement with the community holds a weight of importance.

“We want to try and connect with the kids in the community,” said Hill. “Just trying to keep them involved more than anything.”

Giving back is the biggest thing for Rasmussen when it comes to youth camps.

“You don’t have to do youth camps. They’re not huge moneymakers, nothing like that,” said Rasmussen. “You do it because it’s good for baseball.”

“In baseball, you grew up going to camps and that’s how you develop the love and you want to get back to it,” he said.

The camps are not only important because the players and the community get involved, but also because they help the young kids with developing their skills.

The softball camps were able to bring in professional hitting instructor Sparky Parker and professional catching instructor and former Portland State University catcher Hilda Stone.

Having Parker instruct at the youth camps was important because he also serves as the softball team’s hitting instructor.

Stone was coached by Hill since she was 12 years old and coached alongside her for six years.

The Pacific baseball team was originally scheduled to have a camp on Jan. 25, 2014 as well, but cancelled because too few kids had signed up.

Pacific also hosts a “Junior Boxer Day” where the kids from the youth camps as well as any players aged 4-17 are invited to spend a day at Chuck Bafaro Stadium and Sherman/Larkins Stadium to watch both Pacific Boxers baseball and softball games.
“You want to give back to the game,” said Hill.

Source: http://www.pacindex.com/sports/2014/03/17/fostering-youth-in-sports-baseball-and-softball-hold-camps/