Community service is one of the pillars of success for the Lake-Sumter State College Athletics Department. This fall, the Lakehawk student-athletes put in over 150 hours serving their surrounding community.
"Being able to give back and teaching young adults that serving others is extremely important helps them grow as people," said Head Baseball Coach, Rich Billings. "For many of them, this is the first time they may be volunteering and when they see the value it has and the impact it has, they see how rewarding it can be to put others first." Coach Billings has led the Athletics community outreach this year, helping place the student-athletes where they are needed most.
Just in this semester alone, LSSC athletes have worked with local elementary schools, Habitat for Humanity, LSSC and FCA Golf Tournaments, Lake/Sumter Co. Children's Advocacy Center, Special Olympics, LSSC Monster Dash and within the county during Hurricane Irma cleanup.
Earlier this fall, sophomore softball player Rachel Phelps led a T-shirt drive in coordination with the University of Houston. All three athletic programs donated shirts, shoes and boxes of bathroom amenities and Rachel shipped them to Houston. The UH softball program then received them and distributed the goods to refugees after Hurricane Harvey devastated the area.
Major League Baseball hall of fame outfielder, Roberto Clemente is famous for saying, "Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in the world and don't, then you are wasting your time on earth." A quote that the Athletics program takes to heart.