Horizon League Student-Athletes help inner city youth Raise Their Sights
Aug. 3, 2007
SAAC Meeting Video Photo Gallery
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Horizon League student-athletes' commitment to success in the classroom and on the playing field carried over into the Indianapolis community as members from the League's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) recently volunteered their time to children from the Forest Manor Multi-Service Center on the city's east side.
The Forest Manor Multi-Service Center was established in 1973 by area residents to help address the human and social needs of the Forest Manor community.
Fourteen Horizon League Student-Athletes, an advisor and several League office staff members participated in this year's outing, which took place at Wes Montgomery Park. The afternoon began with the children and student-athletes taking part in a series of relay races on the park basketball courts.
"The experience in working with the kids was a lot of fun," said Cleveland State University junior cross country runner Audrey Piotrowski. "The kids are very energetic and you can tell that they want to be with us. What I expected was nothing compared to what I got out of it."
Following the relay races, the group spent the remainder of the hot afternoon cooling off in the park pool.
The SAAC community volunteer project was anything but a new concept for SAAC members. For Wright State University softball player Jacqueline Macy, it marked the second straight year she had volunteered her time to a local youth group. Last summer, Macy was part of a group that traveled to Los Angeles to work with inner city youth as part of the L.A. Urban Project.
"I was really excited that we were going to have an opportunity to come out and help with the kids," Macy said. "It makes you feel as if you are a part of something and not just a student-athlete.
"The kids here are great, and they really appreciate us coming out to spend time with them for the day. I have a lot of respect for the people who are here everyday. They do a great job with the kids."
Illinois-Chicago volleyball player Liz Hrebic had also spent time with children prior to the SAAC members' day with the Forest Manor youth group. The week before the SAAC meeting, Hrebic spent the day at the St. Vincent-DePaul Center in Chicago and taught the children about volleyball.
"Playing with kids is one of my favorite things," Hrebic said. "Just to see the smile on the kids' faces is such a great feeling and to know that they can look up to you."
"It is really great that these student-athletes volunteered their time," said Forest Manor Youth Coordinator Morganna Marsh. "It shows that they are very dedicated people and that they care about children. I think what the kids saw was that people do come out and volunteer and that people do care about their well-being."
Marsh, who has worked with Forest Manor for the past seven years, has incorporated physical fitness and a busy daily schedule to keep her summer youth program a success for local children.
"I feel as if kids these days need to be more active," Marsh said. "The joy with this camp is that the kids have the opportunity to run, take part in gymnastics and martial arts. With these student-athletes here, I think it has encouraged our children to be active on a daily basis."
UIC Associate Athletic Director Denny Wills, added that the community service was a good representation of what the student-athletes were performing on each of their campuses.
"This event has been great, and it shows that we have a commitment from each school," Wills said. "To spend a day with a city youth group makes me proud to be a member of the League.
"We have been stressing that the community service component is part of our platform in the League," Wills said. "We are trying to show these student-athletes here that there is more than just going to class and competing on your team. I think that our student-athletes have an obligation to their local community, and that is what we are trying to show them with this event. It is a good first step."
Each Horizon League institution was represented by at least one student-athlete at the annual SAAC meeting. The student-athletes selected to represent their university were chosen by the institution's SAAC administrator.
"This is a great opportunity for student-Athletes to meet each other and be able to talk about issues that they are facing in collegiate athletics," said Horizon League Associate Commissioner for Compliance and Legal Affairs Stephanie Jarvis. "I think our student-athletes enjoyed our community event, and it looked as if they had just as much fun as the kids did throughout the day."
Horizon League Student-Athletes that attended the 2007 SAAC meeting included: Melody Austin (Butler/Volleyball), Audrey Piotrowski (Cleveland State/Cross Country), Steven Wipprecht (Cleveland State/Tennis), Woody Payne (Detroit/Basketball), Liz Hrebic (UIC/Volleyball), Josh Mayo (UIC/Basketball), Nora Schober (Loyola/Softball), Lindsay Cervenko (Green Bay/Soccer), Nick Hawley (Milwaukee/Cross Country), Melanie Wilson (Valparaiso/Track and Field), Zach Rodeghero (Valparaiso/Baseball), Sierra Crayton (Wright State/Basketball), Jacqueline Macy (Wright State/Softball) and Brittny Humphrey (Youngstown State/Soccer).
Other Horizon League SAAC members unable to attend the meeting included: Cassie Freeman (Butler/Basketball), Carrie Twyman (Butler/Soccer), Mandi Dupuis (Detroit/Golf), Aaron Harter (Loyola/Golf), Gretchen Herrema (Green Bay/Swimming), Steve Bode (Milwaukee/Soccer), Tenzin Rampa (Milwaukee/Soccer) and Ryan Sellman (Youngstown State/Baseball).
