Following a frenzied game of balloon keepie-uppies, Pedro Sancho Moraga sat at a circular table covered in beads, construction paper, and other crafting materials. Half a dozen grade-schoolers followed along as the WSU Men’s Basketball guard demonstrated how to make origami soccer jerseys.
A few seats over, WSU women’s soccer players Delaney Hawkins and Kingston Worke helped other kids turn bright pink paper into swans and flamingos.
In the adjoining gymnasium, members of the WSU Football Team rumbled up and down the floor, mixing in alloy-oops with delicate passes to the assembled kids.
More than two dozen WSU student-athletes visited Kamiak Elementary in July to volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club of the Palouse. The assembled Cougar athletes are in Pullman as part of the Summer Bridge Program, which gives incoming first-year student-athletes a couple extra months to adjust to college life.
“The program is great because there’s about two dozen people all going through the same thing, preparing for the fall semester and their sports seasons,” Hawkins said.
The Cougar athletes are in Pullman as part of the Summer Bridge Program, giving incoming first-year student-athletes a couple extra months to adjust to college life.
In addition to preparing for the demands of balancing athletics and academics, student-athletes also participate in team-building exercises and volunteer with community organizations.
“In order to be a good team, you have to get out and be a part of the community,” said Marquez Wimberly, an incoming member of the WSU Football Team.
Wimberly has fond memories of college athletes visiting programs he was part of as a kid and what that meant to him.
“I always loved when they got us involved and made us feel like we were playing too,” Wimberly said.
Student-athletes frequently take part in community service work throughout the year. Members of WSU sports teams participate in the annual Butch’s Bash, which offers local families the chance to play games with student-athletes. Athletics also hosts events with the WSU ROAR program as well as Special Olympics Washington.
The goal for the upcoming year is for every team to complete a service opportunity and for the department to achieve 1,000 hours of community service during the fall semester, said Gwyn Rhodes, student athlete development & alumni engagement coordinator for WSU Athletics.
Volunteering opportunities abound for all members of the WSU community throughout the year. The Center for Civic Engagement offers dozens of volunteer opportunities on and off campus, ranging from pen pal programs to spending time at the campus food pantry. A host of additional opportunities are also posted on WSU’s GivePulse website, which can be sorted by campus to give the closest opportunities for community members across the system.
