Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Student-Athletes Engage With Local Community
6/25/2020 11:14:00 AM | Student-Athlete Enrichment
LEWISBURG, Pa. – A key component among Bucknell's myriad of student-athlete enrichment initiatives is connecting with the local community. A restructuring of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the enrichment space as a whole during the 2019-20 academic year increased the organization and tracking of volunteer opportunities, and it resulted in more than 3,000 hours of community service from Bison student-athletes.
Bucknell Athletics utilized the HelperHelper platform to assist with sign-up opportunities and the tracking of community engagement efforts. All 27 varsity programs participated in at least one community service opportunity during the year, even with the mid-March dismissal due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
HelperHelper tracks service hours from college programs all over the country, and six Bucknell teams landed in the top 10 nationally within their respective sport: wrestling (1), men's tennis (3), men's lacrosse (5), women's rowing (7), football (8) and field hockey (9). In addition, men's tennis earned a top-five ranking for men's teams.
Through a combination of team and SAAC-led efforts, the student-athletes were able to engage in a number of successful initiatives. Among them:
In addition to these events, Bison student-athletes worked with many organizations throughout the Central Susquehanna Valley and beyond, including Vs. Cancer, Lewisburg Community Garden, Geisinger, the Headstrong Foundation, and the One Love Foundation.
Community service is an exceptionally special experience to me because of the opportunity to engage with local youth and serve as a mentor," said Brittany Willwerth '20, a field hockey co-captain and the SAAC Director of Communication this past year. "Further inspiring me to one day work in pediatrics, my favorite experience has been volunteering at the Janet Weis Children's Hospital, where I visited patients every week and attempted to brighten their days despite the circumstances of a hospital stay. All in all, engaging with the community proved to be among the most memorable components of my Bucknell career."
Bucknell Athletics utilized the HelperHelper platform to assist with sign-up opportunities and the tracking of community engagement efforts. All 27 varsity programs participated in at least one community service opportunity during the year, even with the mid-March dismissal due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
HelperHelper tracks service hours from college programs all over the country, and six Bucknell teams landed in the top 10 nationally within their respective sport: wrestling (1), men's tennis (3), men's lacrosse (5), women's rowing (7), football (8) and field hockey (9). In addition, men's tennis earned a top-five ranking for men's teams.
Through a combination of team and SAAC-led efforts, the student-athletes were able to engage in a number of successful initiatives. Among them:
- Lewisburg Children's Museum: Women's rowing kicked off the community service efforts by volunteering at the Lewisburg Children's Museum. For six Saturdays in August and September, the rowing team participated in events such as 'dino-day' and 'healthy choices week.'
- Community Cleanup: During the fall, numerous teams participated in cleanup around the Lewisburg Community. Baseball made sure the Little League baseball field was in perfect playing condition while men's lacrosse spent an afternoon doing highway cleanup. Men's tennis participated in the International Coast Clean-Up and cleaned green roofs on campus.
- Bucknell Farm: Working alongside Jen Partica from the Office of Civic Engagement both men's and women's lacrosse and men's tennis volunteered at the Bucknell Farm to help with Bucknell's food insecurity program.
- Canned Food Collection: Sponsored by SAAC and in conjunction with two home men's and women's basketball games at Sojka Pavilion, more than 700 items were donated to the Eastern Union County Supplemental Food Program.
- Turkey Baskets: Bison Athletics took part in the Office of Civic Engagement's Thanksgiving baskets program. Staff members put together seven baskets, each of which provided a meal for an entire family. In total, the Office of Civic Engagement was able to help provide dinner for more than 500 people in the community.
- The Giving Tree: Led by their SAAC representatives, all 27 varsity teams participated in this program during the December holiday period. Each program fulfilled at least one gift tag request from local families, with some teams (women's rowing), fulfilling as many as eight. With additional contributions from Athletics staff members, the department was able to fully adopt two local agencies: Essex Place and Meadowview, benefiting more than 60 families.
- Food Bank: Throughout the year, teams volunteered every other Friday at the local food bank through the Eastern Union County Supplemental Food Program. Track and field kicked off the year, and 10 other teams picked up the remainder of the dates.
- Youth Clinic: Spearheaded by head women's soccer coach Kelly Cook, Bison Athletics offered a multi-sport youth clinic in conjunction with National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Local youths were invited to participate in the free clinic and received complimentary tickets to the Bucknell women's basketball game following the clinic. More than 100 kids joined us, and more than 80 student-athletes from Bucknell's women's teams led the successful clinic, which we expect to become an annual event.
In addition to these events, Bison student-athletes worked with many organizations throughout the Central Susquehanna Valley and beyond, including Vs. Cancer, Lewisburg Community Garden, Geisinger, the Headstrong Foundation, and the One Love Foundation.
Community service is an exceptionally special experience to me because of the opportunity to engage with local youth and serve as a mentor," said Brittany Willwerth '20, a field hockey co-captain and the SAAC Director of Communication this past year. "Further inspiring me to one day work in pediatrics, my favorite experience has been volunteering at the Janet Weis Children's Hospital, where I visited patients every week and attempted to brighten their days despite the circumstances of a hospital stay. All in all, engaging with the community proved to be among the most memorable components of my Bucknell career."
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