CLARION UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS DONATES TO LOCAL FOOD BANK
 
CLARION – Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Clarion University Athletic Department led by its Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and including all 16 varsity intercollegiate athletic programs donated approximately 5,000 non-perishable food items to the food bank of the Clarion office of Community Action, Inc. on Friday, November 15.

"I'm very proud of the effort of our SAAC Committee, all of our student-athletes, coaches and administrators, who stepped up to make this food drive a big success again this year," said Clarion University Athletic Director Dave Katis.
 
The project was led by  SAAC Officers, President Ben Fiscus (football), Vice-President Emilee Gysegem (women's swimming and diving),  Treasurer Megan Toddy (cross country & track) and Secretary Lindsay Finke (golf),  along with the representatives from each varsity sport, program coaching staffs and athletic staff, under the leadership of A.D. Dave Katis.

"At this time of the year, and at the start of the holiday season, its important that we all understand that giving back is an important part of the season and defines who we are as people, a department and the university," said Katis. "For our student athletes hopefully this is something they can take with them once they leave Clarion and become leaders in their communities."

Members of the SAAC Committee, intercollegiate athletes, coaches and administrators all helped in collecting the items and then loading a big delivery truck to take the items to the food bank where they were unloaded for general use.


(Above - Sarah Zerfoss, Lauren Slayton, Nick Larmon, Colin Vest, (Dave Hrovat background) Maria Taylor and Heath Calhoun get ready to load truck with 5,00 food items)

"The reaction from those in charge at Community Action, who were so thankful for our delivery of all these items, meant a lot to us," Katis said.

As part of the effort to collect as many non-perishable food items as possible, the 16 teams competed to see who would collect the most items. Those teams included on the women's side – basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. The men's teams included baseball, basketball, football, golf, swimming and diving and wrestling.
 
The women's soccer team won the team challenge, averaging 25 donations per student athlete on the team. \Women's Basketball and Women's Volleyball tied for second with an average of 20 items per athlete.