Number of Participants: 1
Hours Donated: 3000
Value of Time Served: $25,350
Event Type: Civic & Community
Sport: Schools
Date: May 6, 2014
Location:
1250 Siskiyou Boulevard Ashland
Oregon 97520, United States
About:
ASHLAND – Southern Oregon University’s student-athletes recently completed what was dubbed the Raider Weekend of Service, in which all of SOU’s teams assisted in community service efforts over a three-day span.
The effort, spearheaded by the Black and Red Crew, SOU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, focused on providing significant servant leadership to the community – one of the five tenets of the NAIA Champions of Character Initiative to which the Raiders abide.
Every Raider is expected to contribute at least 10 hours of community service each year. Last year, that equated to over 3,000 hours as a department.
“We always appreciate the support we get from people in this valley and we know how important it is to give back,” said Daniel Breaux, a junior football player who serves as the SOU Athletics Senator. “It’s fun to get out of our bubble on campus and develop some outside relationships. When we’re able to connect with the community, everyone benefits.”
The weekend of service began on Thursday with the volleyball team assisting at Talent Elementary School’s Dia Del Nino, a physical activity promotion, and the track and field team taking part in Medford’s Lone Pine Elementary Walk-a-Thon. Brookelynn Cole, Abbie Hanser and Emma Gasman coordinated the volleyball team’s efforts, while Jonz Olander, Aspen Abbott and Kevin Jorgensen did the same for track and field.
On Friday and Saturday, SOU’s football, wrestling and men’s basketball teams participated in a Jackson County Fuel Commission wood-cut headed by Breaux, Dalton Urrutia and Tim Weber.
The women’s basketball and soccer teams, led by Alyssa Fielding, Carly Meister and Elise De Jesse, finished the weekend Saturday by lending hands at the Ashland YMCA Healthy Kids Day. After helping the YMCA’s numerous community partners with set-up, the teams were alongside kids of all ages at an obstacle course, an air track and a bounce house, encouraging a variety of ways to stay active.
“They were very helpful, very outgoing and a lot of fun for the kids to be around,” said Michele Mitzel, the YMCA Executive Assistant and Communications Director. “I think they had as much fun as the kids did. SOU is a valuable resource for us; we had wrestlers here last year, football players the year before and they’ve all been great, so we’d love to continue that relationship.”