Sports Teams Kick Off the Fall with Community Service
Each year, fall sports teams at the College—volleyball, cross country, and soccer—come back a week before preseason training to give back to the community and bond as a team. This year was no different, with student-athletes completing a wide range of projects in Illinois and Missouri.
Volleyball and Cross Country
The volleyball and cross country teams started out with a trip to Peace Haven Association, a Christian Science nursing facility in St. Louis. There, they interacted with residents—painting their nails, playing Scrabble and balloon volleyball, and singing hymns at the end of the day. Exchanges between players and residents were full of smiles on both sides.
The teams went their separate ways for Day Two. Volleyball painted two rooms at the Alton Boys and Girls Club, while cross country team members cut back limbs and shrubs and cleared vines from overgrown areas at the Treehouse Wildlife Center in Dow, Illinois.
Working together again on the third day, the teams helped at the Beverly Farm Foundation in Godfrey, Illinois, a home for adults with developmental disabilities. The bulk of their time was spent sorting through a storage barn where many years’ worth of items had accumulated. The work was slow and dirty, but the teams made a huge impact, leaving behind a clean, well-organized space. In addition, a few team members cleaned a couple of vans, inside and out.
Men’s Soccer
The men's soccer team spent their week helping at the College and in Alton and Grafton. On campus, they moved furniture displaced by the School of Nations project, cleaned the School of Government following construction work, and helped the housekeepers prepare for incoming students and staff. In Alton, they completed a trash pickup on behalf of the Greater Alton Community Development Corporation, addressing a key need that had been raised at recent town hall meetings.
The team also traveled west to assist the town of Grafton in their ongoing cleanup efforts following the historic flooding there this past spring. Their work ranged from cleaning the town's visitor center to cutting back overgrown weeds and pruning trees in areas that recently became accessible again after the flooding receded. Grafton Alderwoman Mary Lillesve commented about how much she appreciated the students’ help.
Women’s Soccer
The women’s soccer team traveled farther afield this year, offering their services to Cedars Camps in Lebanon, Missouri. Each day, they set up meals for the entire staff and washed dishes afterward. Between meals, they worked on their main project—preparing for an upcoming conference of Christian Science nurses being held at the camp gym. This involved moving and rolling out massive carpets to protect the floor, vacuuming the entire space, helping set up the stage, cleaning chairs and transporting them from other buildings to the gym, and then setting up tables and chairs in the proper configuration.
Team members also cared for the horses, brushing them, cleaning and refilling water troughs, preparing feed buckets, and, of course, feeding them carrots.
Summing up the week of giving, Head Cross Country Coach Sedge Southworth (C’01), commented, "It's not mandatory that anyone . . . come back to campus for this week of volunteering since practice doesn't begin until the week after. So, it warms my heart knowing that they are willing to leave jobs [early] and serve the local community."
Sports Information Director Heather Fairbanks (C’05) contributed to this article.