Fighting Scots Making a Big Impact within Local Community
Wooster Student-Athlete Community Service Photo Gallery
As part of NCAA Div. III Week, a positive opportunity for all individuals associated with Div. III to observe and celebrate the impact of athletics and of student-athletes on the campus and surrounding community, we are taking a look at some of the many ways our Fighting Scots are involved with community service endeavors.
Many of Wooster's student-athletes are actively involved with their friends or in small groups in various service opportunities through program houses on campus and opportunities provided by the Wooster Volunteer Network. This Div. III Week feature focuses on large-scale involvement by Wooster's 23 varsity teams.
Team IMPACT
Claire Goodwin-Kelly and Hallie Krzys from women's soccer started a partnership with Team IMPACT, a national organization that matches children facing serious illnesses and disabilities with college sports teams. Men's lacrosse became Wooster's first team to sign a Team IMPACT student. Luke, from the local area, has down syndrome. Luke was joined by many varsity teams for his signing day in early March.
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
Wooster's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's (SAAC) flagship service project partners with Wayne County's Department of Job and Family Services to adopt local families in need for the December holiday. SAAC has raised approximately $25,000 to buy gifts and living essentials for area families in need.
SAAC partnered with Wooster City School District to be part of the district's Boo at Woo event that involves the entire community. SAAC staffs a station at the now-annual event, enabling Fighting Scots to make an even bigger impact than when hosting the event as a stand-alone one on campus.
Service Projects Involving Multiple Varsity Teams
Numerous varsity teams annually support Tim Tebow Foundation's Night to Shine events in Wooster. These are annual prom-like events for teens and adults with special needs.
Wooster's women's teams annually host a free youth clinic as part of the department's National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration. Wooster women's varsity and club teams are provided an opportunity to set up a station to teach local youth about their sport.
Wooster student-athletes partnered with The Hidden Opponent several years ago. The non-profit organization is dedicated to mental health awareness among high school and college athletic teams. Wooster teams are able to host a Hidden Opponent Awareness game where messaging about mental health awareness is shared.
Wooster's fall teams that arrive early on campus assist with the College's annual first-year move in.
Team-Specific Service Projects
Teams were provided an opportunity to submit team-wide service projects, awareness events, and photos from what they took part in over the last year or upcoming ones remaining this semester. Submissions included:
Baseball has an upcoming free community youth skills clinic as part of its April 13 game against the University of Mount Union.
Men's basketball assists the Kiwanis Club of Wooster with its annual used book sale. The team is part of Wooster Rotary's annual canned food drive during the Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic where non-perishable food items are collected as "admission" to a youth clinic, and fans receive discounted admission with the donation of non-perishable food items to the tournament games. The program's annual E.M. "Mose" Hole/Wooster Kiwanis Classic has a used clothing drive, with clothing items collected for discounted admission.
Women's basketball ran an after-school clinic with the Wooster Boys and Girls Club and is scheduled to do clinics later this spring at local elementary schools through the YMCA.
Cheerleading supports Main Street Wooster's annual Window Wonderland, the city's holiday kickoff celebration. The team serves as Santa's helpers for the event.
Cross country and track and field volunteers with the Wayne County Humane Society and assists with its Howl-o-Ween event.
Field hockey supports the Monday Night Mile held each fall on campus. The Monday Night Mile is an annual series of races that raise money for children's hospitals. In Wooster, proceeds support Akron Children's Foundation. Several members of the team are part of the Goodwill Industries service program house on campus.
Football partners annually with the National Marrow Donor Program, formerly known as Be The Match. This year's annual donor registry drive is set for April 29 in Lowry Student Center. Of note, the program's first drive in 2023 was lauded by the team's contact at the organization as "being one of the most successful first year events in my nearly 14 years." Football student-athletes are involved with the Wooster Recreation Department as officials for youth basketball and with the YMCA's after school programs.
Men's golf assists with clean up and trail restoration work at Wooster Memorial Park in the fall.
Men's lacrosse staffs the Wayne County Humane Society's fundraising parking lot during the Wayne County Fair. Additionally, the team raised around $3,000 for Headstrong Foundation during its "Mustache Madness" event. Men's lacrosse runs youth clinics for the Wooster Lacrosse Club and members of the team regularly volunteer at the Wayne County Humane Society and Boys and Girls Club. Members of the team are part of service houses on campus partnered with Homework for Hoops and weekly breakfast service at a community church.
Women's lacrosse hosts an annual Morgan's Message game, which raises awareness around eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete body. Members of the team are part of program houses that support Wooster Montessori School and People-to-People Ministries.
Men's soccer volunteers with People-to-People Ministries, has a reading program with students at Parkview Elementary School, holds soccer clinics at Parkview, and has numerous tutoring and mentoring relationships with students throughout the Wooster City School District.
Softball volunteers to do activities with residents of Westview Healthy Living throughout the year. The team volunteers at the Wayne County Humane Society and the College's Rake a Difference event.
Swimming and diving's program breaks up into smaller groups within the team. A group works with Friends of Wooster Memorial Park on park maintenance a few times a year. Another group works with Edgewood Middle School's special education students, and a third group partners with the Wayne County Humane Society. The whole team comes together annually for an Hour of Power, an annual hour of all-out swimming of continuous relays of any stroke to raise awareness for sarcoma research.
Volleyball recently worked with Encourage Foster Care to watch children while their parents went through required trainings. Volleyball volunteers with the College's nursery school's fall cleanup day, runs clinics at the nursery school, holds community clinics for youth, reads to elementary students at local schools, and most of the team performs weekly volunteer hours at the College's preschool. Volleyball has partnered with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, which matches teams with kids with pediatric cancer, and the team has a sustained relationship with its adoptee, Carly.