Tuesday, October 30, 2007

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 30, 2007) - The ETSU softball team spent Monday night at the Salvation Army in Johnson City helping in the soup kitchen and with after school programs.

"The Salvation Army is a great organization that helps locally in each community especially during the holiday season," said softball head coach Andrea Mangrum. "I want my players to be exposed to people from every walk of life in hopes they will appreciate how fortunate each of them are."

            The Bucs spent several hours serving food to homeless people. A worker for the Salvation Army said that the crowd was similar to what they would see for a Thanksgiving dinner. Athletes also spent time with children, helping them with their homework and entertaining them with games.

"Serving food to the homeless, interacting with underprivileged kids, and helping people in need this holiday season is the focus of our program right now," Mangrum said. "We will give of our time every Monday until the players head home for the holidays and assist the Salvation Army in everyway we can."

Reaching out to the community and helping those in need is a strong value at ETSU, and coach Mangrum wants her team to realize how important it is to help others.

"We want to make a positive impact in our local community and share joy with those around us. Our focus during the off season is keeping our priorities in order as a team because it will teach the players that serving others and sharing love is the greatest gift of all."

            The softball team plans to make four more trips to the Salvation Army this semester to help out with the rush of people that usually comes in during the colder holiday months.

The ETSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics takes pride in its community service activities and strives for 100 percent participation from its student-athletes, coaches and administrators throughout the year.