CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri State student-athletes were hard at work not only on the playing surface during the Fall 2013 semester, but also out in the community. As a whole, Southeast student-athletes logged over 1,500 community service hours in the semester.
“1,500 hours in the community is a huge achievement for our student-athletes,” said Director of Athletics Mark Alnutt. “It shows their dedication and commitment to get out in community; whether it’s going to elementary schools or working for charitable and non-profit organizations, it gives our athletes another opportunity for our fans to see them in another light outside of them wearing a uniform and competing for Redhawk athletics.”
Community service opportunities this semester have included events such as Feed My Starving Children, Pink Up Cape events in October, Read to Succeed, the Special Olympics, an American Cancer Society benefit dinner, and the Party for the Good put on by the SEMO Food Bank, just to name a few.
The Redhawks baseball team led the efforts with 320 hours while the gymnastics team was also highly active in the community with about 300 hours. The men’s and women’s track and field teams combined for 265 hours. Softball and women’s volleyball also combined for over 250 hours.
Alnutt added: “It thrills me to see we’re over 1,500 hours this first semester and I can’t wait to see what our athletes do the rest of the academic year. I’d also like to give a special thanks to our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for organizing all of the events this semester.”
Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance and SAAC Advisor Rachel Blunt added: “It’s been a huge buy-in effect that started with coaches and SAAC and trickled down to all of our student-athletes. There has been a huge emphasis on our athletes giving back to a community that we ask so much of so. This is excellent to see us eclipse 1,500 hours; I never would have guessed we had that many!”
