Judson athletics provides 1,000 community service hours
The Judson University athletes served the Elgin area and other communities across the United States, with a total of over 1,000 hours of community service in the 2010-11 athletic year. Each athletic team participated in at least one community service project during this time.
Among the service opportunities, Judson athletes worked with five different school districts in Illinois and one in Virginia with reading programs and clinics. They also went and spoke to the schools about being a collegiate athlete and what it took to get to college.
In Elgin, the athletes assisted the Larkin Center and also worked with Riverworks, a part of the Fox Valley Christian Action program (formerly Riverwoods). They held tennis clinics at Clifford Court, right next to Judson, and also played with the Riverworks youth on campus. In April, the athletes partnered with Riverworks, playing with the youth and eating dinner with them on campus. The women's basketball team made a visit to the Little Angels Nursing Home and the men's basketball team worked with the Conquerors group from the First Baptist Church in Elgin. On Easter, five athletes volunteered their time to serve at the soup kitchen provided by the Elgin Evangelical Free Church.
Participating in the NCCAA National Tournaments, the men's soccer, baseball, and softball teams all did community service projects with other teams. The men's soccer team helped organize and sort gifts for the Orlando (Fla.) Christmas Project and also put on a soccer clinic for children and youth. The baseball team did a food drive at the regional tournament and then served at Matthew 25 Ministries helping organize items for tornado victims in Alabama. The softball team volunteered their time at an elementary school in Virginia reading and playing with the children.
Each year, the community service projects and hours have grown for Judson Athletics. This past year Judson reached out to four more school districts, four more Elgin area organizations, and put on three more clinics.
Below is a full list of organizations that the Judson Athletes partnered with in the 2010-2011 academic year. Thanks to each organization for allowing Judson the opportunity to serve their communities.
School Districts
U-46 – Hillcrest Elementary School (Elgin)
Carpentersville Middle School
Palatine Elementary School
Crystal Lake Elementary School
Joliet Elementary School
Botetourt County Elementary School District (Virginia)
Programs
Riverworks Life Skills Outreach (Fox Valley Christian Action)
Little Angels Nursing Home
Boys and Girls Club of Chicagoland
Elgin Larkin Center
Matthew 25 Ministries (Mason, Ohio)
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Awareness (volleyball/women's basketball)
All People's Interfaith Food Pantry
Christmas Gift Program (Florida) – NCCAA
Reading Program at local schools (women's basketball/volleyball)
The Conquerors (First Baptist Church – Elgin)
Soup Kitchen (Elgin Evangelical Free Church)
Clinics
Baseball – Boys and Girls Club
Volleyball – free clinic at Judson
Track and Field – Joliet, Illinois (NCCAA National Track Meet)
Men's Basketball – Carpentersville Middle School
Men's Soccer – Orlando, Florida (NCCAA)
Men's/Women's Tennis – Clifford Court