CITIZENSHIP

Stories on this page show MIAA student-athletes in action on their campuses and in their communities, demonstrating service and leadership.

 Academics are an essential part of the everyday life of a Division III athlete. But it’s not every day that athletes are given the opportunity to enter their surrounding community and take a hands-on approach to their learning.

Albion College baseball pitcher Brett Timmer (Jenison, senior), women’s tennis’ No. 2 singles player and 2011 all-MIAA second team performer Katie Blumberg (Farmington Hills, sophomore), football kicker Steve Seward (Trenton, sophomore), and women’s soccer midfielder Lindsey Lubanski (Lathrup Village, sophomore) were part of a school project charged with assisting Albion’s local government during the spring semester.

Their class, titled Management Consulting and offered through the economics & management department, consulted with the City of Albion to help revamp and redesign its official web site. The students are being mentored by Michael Brown, '87, the interactive director at Full Circle, a marketing and interactive agency in Grand Rapids.

"It’s been a good way to get involved with the city of Albion, and also work in a consulting type of field," Timmer said. "It exposes us to a different type of thing."

The class has met with Albion’s mayor, Joe Domingo, along with various other citizens. Their goal was to understand how the new web site could benefit the different stakeholders in the Albion community.

"I think the hands-on learning approach was really good. It’s about being able to communicate with people and learning how to problem solve," said Blumberg (pictured right). "In this project we have come across real issues where we have had to find real solutions."

Members of Albion’s local government and community have been enthusiastic about the class’ participation, and receptive to their ideas.

"They were very impressed that we are willing to put our time into the project, and the quality of ideas we put forth," Timmer said. "I think we represented Albion College well."

The class has focused on developing a site-map that improves the organization of the information on Albion’s web site. Students examined the websites of other cities and states throughout the country, in order to develop recommendations for Albion’s new website. Timmer said the new streamlined website could help attract new residents and business.

"I think we are making a big impact, because when you look at Albion’s web site it’s a huge need," Timmer said. "It can help attract new residents and businesses, which the community needs."

Click here to read more about the Albion student-athletes and their work with the city of Albion

April 2012

As a member of the Alma College baseball team, senior Richard Schreiber constantly makes sure to give back to the community. During the school year, Schreiber works Kids’ Night Out events at the local high school and spends his summers umpiring Little League games, refereeing basketball games, and helping out at his local church.

Alma High School sponsors Kids’ Night Out providing children in the community the opportunity to come hang out, swim, watch movies, play basketball, dodge ball, or foursquare and Schreiber constantly volunteers his time here along with other members of the Scots' baseball team.

"Kids are easy to hang out with and get along with," Schreiber said. "It’s always fun to be around them.

During the summer, Schreiber helps baseball teams in his hometown of Grayling, Mich. He explains that he enjoys helping kids improve their baseball skills.

"I had people doing that for me when I was growing up and it just feels right to give back to them," Schreiber said.

The oldest of five, Schreiber’s siblings look up to him for advice in sports and he explains that his own dad and uncle played this role in his life.

"Every time I wanted to improve in baseball they were always there to help me out," Schreiber said.

As a senior on the baseball team and a starting pitcher, Schreiber has found a spot as a leader and someone who teammates look up to.

"He leads by example," senior Troy Weber said. "He’s never late, he’s very reliable, and makes sure everybody on the team knows what time practice or games are if something changes."

Schreiber has encouraged his teammates to also volunteer at Kids’ Night Out. “We always try to get a group to go,” Schreiber said. “Our assistant coach, (Mark) Smoker and his wife organize them so a couple of guys on the team are usually there."

Majoring in athletic training, Schreiber hopes to continue helping people at the high school level or with physical rehab at a hospital after he graduates.

"He’s just a genuinely good person," senior Micah Parshall said. "You know he would do anything for you."

March 2012

If being a vested member in one's community is what qualifies a person as a good citizen, then Sarah Kean of Adrian College has done an excellent job of doing just that. The senior tennis captain from Wixom, Mich,. works hard at balancing being a student-athlete with a variety of clubs and volunteering outside of the community.

Kean is no stranger to the younger children in the town of Adrian. During the last four years, she has taken part in the Trick or Treat Patrol, Be a Hero Day, and YMCA Day, all activities that work with elementary aged children.

"My favorite was the Trick or Treat Patrol," Kean said. "We make sure the kids are safe while crossing the streets of Adrian. I thought it was fun because you got to see all the little kids' costumes."

As well as being involved in the community, Kean is involved in a vast array of clubs and activities on campus. These include the Biology Club, Choir, Pre-Health Profession Society, Mortar Board, The Catholic Student Association, and Students for Life.

"I love being on the team and keeping busy helps me do better in school and it motivates me to get things done in advance and stay ahead with my school-work," Kean said.

Click here to read more about Sarah Kean

 

December 2011

For athletes at every MIAA member college, participating in Division III sport goes beyond just playing the game.

For example, this past fall there were abundant opportunities for Hope College soccer players to interact with elementary-age students. A custom at home Hope soccer games is the participation of youth soccer players in the pre-game activities. The youth players accompany players from both teams on to the field for the introductions and playing of the National Anthem.

"In every game where we had the opportunity to walk out with a youth team, it was extremely rewarding," said senior Danielle Petzak of Zeeland, Mich. "Our team gets very excited about home games to begin with, but to see even more smiles from the kids really made things special. It's awesome to see how much they enjoy being able to walk next to us, and it's even better to hear from some of them how much they want to play at Hope when they grow up. I know I speak for both the women's and men's teams in saying that we can't thank the community enough for how much support we've been given!"

Involvement extended beyond game day. More than 50 players from the Hope women's and men's programs participated in the fall festival carnival sponsored by Great Lakes Elementary School in Holland. The players helped coordinate games such as bucket toss, bowling, hockey shoot-out and sucker pull. Their efforts helped the school raise more than $3,200.

"It is great to be able to be part of a soccer program that has so much support from the surrounding community," said senior David Whitaker. "Helping out at the Great Lakes Fall Festival was a great opportunity to give back and it was also a lot of fun."

"The fall festival was definitely an event the players in both of our soccer programs enjoyed," said men's assistant coach Lee Schopp. "I heard many positive comments from young children, parents and PTO volunteers about how awesome the players were, and how well they interacted and helped the younger students with each of the games."

 

November 2011

Even Division III basketball players look tall in the eyes of an elementary school student. That was only one of the memories Albion College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President Holly Williams, took away from the Oct. 15 clinic SAAC sponsored for Briton basketball players and area kids 6-12 years old.

"There were 8-year old kids whose jaws dropped when they looked up to these 6-foot-5 basketball players," said Williams, a member of the swimming & diving team. "There’s no difference between players at the Division I or Division III level in the kids’ eyes because the player is still tall.

"The athletes don’t realize the impact they had on these kids," Williams added. "These clinics are an opportunity to help student-athletes realize they have a responsibility to the children in the community and it is an honor to provide kids with a mentor."

Clinics are a natural event for SAAC to sponsor, Williams said, because the student-athletes are eager to teach others about their sport. The hardest aspect of executing the clinics is getting information to the children in schools across eastern Jackson and western Calhoun counties.

In addition to receiving instruction from Albion student-athletes, clinic participants receive a snack and an autographed poster. While the Briton athletes are volunteering their time to provide instruction, they hope the kids will return to see them in action.

"We want to instill a sense of Albion pride in the area, and hopefully they will want to come to a couple of games," Williams said.

The clinics continue Nov. 12 with men’s and women’s tennis athletes providing the instruction, and Dec. 3 for cross country and track. Athletes who compete in fall sports will instruct clinics in the spring and that schedule will be announced after the New Year.

Visit www.albion.edu/sports for more information about the Albion SAAC and upcoming events.

 

October 2011

As a college student, juggling academics, athletics, and your social life can be difficult. Add to that a day a week volunteering at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in downtown Grand Rapids, and you’re schedule can almost be void of any free time. But, as Calvin College sophomore swimmer Adam Alexander puts it, “The Bible calls us to help those who are less fortunate, and, it’s good for the community.”

A chemical engineering major with the intention of entering medical school after graduating from Calvin, Alexander is planning on going to med school after attending Calvin to pursue a career in orthopedic surgery. Following the lead of his sister, 2011 Calvin graduate and All-MIAA swimmer Caitlin Alexander, Adam volunteers at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital for three hours on Wednesdays.

“I heard about it through my sister. She found it to be a cool experience and recommended it to me, so I got involved,” said Alexander. “I enjoy helping the kids and being involved with them, and I might go into a focus on pediatrics with the orthopedic surgery.”

Alexander often plays with the kids who are able to do so, entertaining them to give their parents a break. “What I do most often with the kids is grab board games for them and we play them in their room,” he said. “Sometimes I am able to grab a Wii for the kids and we usually end up playing Mario Kart. There was one patient that we would go to the playroom and just play Just Dance 2 on the Wii, shoot hoops, or just stroll around the hospital floor talking and passing the time by. Playing with the kids brings me a lot of personal gratitude,” said Alexander.

When asked how he balances all his commitments, Alexander replied, “A lot of late nights. Studying when you have the time – just working hard. Not procrastinating too much, but still finding time to have fun.”

“Adam is a very smart swimmer and student, very popular with his teammates, and involved with several things outside of swimming, which is everything I look for in a swimmer,” said Calvin head swimming and diving Coach Dan Gelderloos. “He has a great attitude and cares about more than just his own goals.”

Read more about Adam Alexander here 

May 2011

 The Olivet men's soccer team had 12 freshmen on its roster during the fall season, and each were looking to improve and perfect their skills and continue their soccer careers. One freshman player in particular, Adam Wright, began his career many miles away from the U.S.A., in South End, England, where he began playing organized soccer around the age of four.

But his father’s engineering work with Ford Motor Co. moved his family to Michigan in 2002 when Wright was 11 years old.

As Wright and his family settled in, he continued to pursue his love for soccer by joining the Michigan Wolves, a travel team, where he played for eight years. Wright, a graduate of Walled Lake Western High School, heard about Olivet College through the Wolves, and decided he was going to check it out.

"I really liked Olivet," Wright said. "I am now studying and taking classes towards a degree in sports management."

A professional that Adam idealizes is, of course, an Englishman.

"My favorite professional player is Cesc Fabregas," Wright said. "He is amazing." Shortly after that admission, Wright also said he’d be rendered speechless if the opportunity ever arose for him to meet Fabregas.

Click here to learn more about Adam Wright

April 2011

 It only takes a moment to inspire someone for the rest of their lives. On February 27, that is exactly what the Adrian College men's lacrosse team did for one group of young lacrosse players.

While on their spring break trip in Warrenton, Virginia, the lacrosse team happened to notice a group of 4th and 5th graders from a local school practicing. Adrian assistant coach Jay Farrell noticed the group of young players and suggested the team go over to say hello. That simple gestured turned into a 30-minute impromptu practice with the team.

"Our guys are very involved in the summer with youth camps and their personalities mesh well with young kids," Adrian head coach Brendan Hayes said. "It was a good opportunity for our team to work with youth players because our players don't get that opportunity during the school year. The look on our player's faces, the way they interacted with the kids, you could tell they enjoyed working with them and teaching the game."

It was an opportunity for the Adrian players to do something out of the ordinary and to interact with an age group they would not normally have the opportunity to. It was a chance for the Adrian team to take a break from the schedule of traveling and practicing to give back to a community organization.

Click here to read more about the Adrian men's lacrosse team

 

March 2011

It was the second session of a Tuesday recess at Congress School, and the playground was jumping. Kids clung to and dangled from the jungle gym. They slid down the spiral slide, they soared on the swings, and a cluster of them shot a basketball at one of the hoops. And in the center of each knot of activity was a member of the Calvin College baseball team.

"I don’t have the energy anymore," lamented Grant Jobkar, a sophomore business major and outfielder with the Knights. "I used to be able to run around all day." Jobkar was supervising the recess activities that morning with Derick Vargas, a junior Spanish major, Jack Jorgenson, a 19-year-old junior freshman biology major and sophomore Eric Poencet—all pitchers for the Knights.

The students and their fellow baseball players monitor recess every day of the week at the East Hills neighborhood school. "They really just play with the kids— everything from soccer to playing on the jungle gyms to basketball to everything in between," said John Sparks, a Calvin professor of health, physical education, recreation, dance and sport.

Sparks created the Calvin-Congress partnership after he started tutoring at the school. "I fell in love with the kids," he said. "They were struggling a little bit with supervision of recesses—were a little bit understaffed last year, and I wondered if there was a way to get our team involved," he said. "They were really thrilled."

Click here to read more about the Calvin baseball players at Congress School

 

February 2011

One of the fundamental elements of the mission of Saint Mary’s College is to prepare young women to make a difference in the world. Moreover, the college’s core values of learning, community, faith/spirituality, and justice are all rooted in growing not only academically, but through service and leadership. Such goals are also mirrored in the college’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as community service is fostered, encouraged, and organized by the SAAC and the collective body of Saint Mary’s student-athletes.

In striving to emulate and live out not only the college’s mission, but also the larger mission of NCAA Division III, the SAAC helps each Saint Mary’s student-athlete prepare for being good citizens on campus and beyond after graduation. The SAAC and its members organize service projects that are meaningful to individual teams and the group as a whole.

Each year, the SAAC organizes holiday-themed parties on campus for two groups from the community as a way for student-athletes to see how they can impact the world on a local level. Groups from South Bend’s LOGAN Center, which provides resources and opportunities for people with disabilities, and Memorial Hospital’s Oncology Floor come to celebrate Halloween and Valentine’s Day with activities and treats with Saint Mary’s student-athletes. The group also organizes trips to the on-campus Saint Mary’s Convent to decorate the halls of the convent and visit with Sisters of the Holy Cross.

Through the Division III Strategic Initiatives Grant Program, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has given back to the greater South Bend community through reading programs at schools and donating books to the Boys and Girls Club. The Saint Mary’s Athletic Department and SAAC have also donated school supplies and uniforms to students at Navarre Intermediate School. The two have combined forces to invite kids from the community for a home basketball game and providing a pizza party and t-shirts for those in attendance.

Click here to read more about Saint Mary’s SAAC

January 2011

The highlight of the week for many children at Albion’s Harrington Elementary School is the one-hour visit by their mentor who happens to be a student from Albion College.

The mentorship program, now known as Jessie’s Gift in memory of 2002 Albion High School graduate and former Albion College student-athlete Jessie Longhurst (pictured right), was developed and is currently run by Peg Turner, the wife of former Albion men’s basketball coach Mike Turner.

Peg Turner started the program when she was a kindergarten teacher in the Albion Public Schools so members of the men’s basketball program could learn that success wasn’t solely determined by wins on the hardwood while the school children gain a positive role model.

"I had members of the men’s basketball team working in my classroom for years," Turner said. "During a brainstorming session about how we could start a mentoring program (2002 Albion graduate) Ben Feeney asked how he could get involved. He became president of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and it has mushroomed from there."

The program continues to flourish with more than 200 Albion students – and student-athletes from nearly every team – participating as mentors. The mentors and younger students spend most of their time each week working on schoolwork, but the last 10 minutes are reserved for board games and chats about their lives.

Click here to read more about Jessie's Gift

December 2010

Integral to the athletics program of Hope College is the development of the student-athlete as a whole person -- mind, body, spirit.

Community service is a key component for all Hope's athletic teams. Recent examples include organizing cancer awareness initiatives, working on home renovation projects for Habitat for Humanity, collecting hundreds of pairs of soccer shoes for youth in Jamaica, Zambia, Sierra Leone and the Dominican Republic, being reading tutors at elementary schools, serving at a local soup kitchen, and developing one-on-one relationships through Special Olympics and No More Sidelines.

It is truly teamwork that extends beyond the field of play. "Our student-athletes take this sense of service with them upon graduation and become leaders in their communities," observed women's basketball coach Brian Morehouse.

Click here for more on Hope's community service projects

 

November 2010

Programs are built on traditions, shared values and commitments that shape the character of the team. Trine University softball has a tradition that’s as much about helping the Steuben County community as it is about the Thunder.

For more than a decade, Trine softball players have volunteered their time to rake leaves in Michigan and Indiana. Farm owners, businesses, the elderly, and simply anyone who has a need to be met, is served. The project lasts for more than two months stretching from October to mid-December.

“It’s very time consuming, but they make it a priority just like they would conditioning, practice or classes. That’s how important it is to them. We don’t say no to anything. We’ll weed, we’ll haul trees, plant flowers, basically whatever needs to be done, and they do it.” Head Coach Don Danklefsen said. “It’s nothing spectacular. You wouldn’t think it would be much fun, but they love it.”

There are fun times. Danklefsen recalls lots of players being tossed into piles of leaves. There are more than a few stories of players accidentally slipping down a hill into a frigid lake, and yes, it happens more often than you’d guess, he laughed.

“About forty percent of the calls are from the elderly or people who can’t do physical labor.” Danklefsen said. “I’m thrilled we’ve been able to build team spirit and bond, but I am so proud that our girls are eager to help. Softball is important, but, who they become is essential. That’s what we want to be known for as well.”

Click here to read more about Trine's leaf-raking project

 

October 2010

Only One Alma. It is a moniker that has served the college well and illustrates what the institution strives to be moving forward. Alma College develops leaders and forward-thinking students that have a responsibility to not only the local and state community, but also, the world community.

Over 90 percent of the students at Alma contribute to local, state and world causes and understand the importance of giving back to the people, both here and elsewhere. Athletes in all sports participate in community activities, whether it be coaching or mentoring at the Alma Middle School, visiting the Scot loving residents of the local Masonic home, or taking part in community fundraisers.

The Scots' volleyball team is a prime example of what the Alma experience involves and what can be done. In August, the team visited the Central American country of Nicaragua, where they competed against the country’s national teams.

More importantly to volleyball, the nine-day trip also focused on service learning and citizenship, and Head Coach Cheyenne Luzynski had broad, long-term goals for her players.

Click here to read more about the Alma volleyball team's visit to Nicarauga

September 2010

Kalamazoo College student-athletes are driven to succeed in the classroom and on the field. Part of being a Hornet, however, is the leadership preparation that takes place over four years on campus. An important aspect of that leadership development is learning to give back and working to make others better.

Kalamazoo athletic teams have a long history of assisting in the community, whether through book drives, clinics for the underprivileged, or assisting local schools in the classroom. Kalamazoo students become leaders who make a difference.

As an example, the Kalamazoo College volleyball team has worked for years with various causes in Kalamazoo, and most recently collected children’s books for Pretty Lake Vacation Camp. The Mattawan, Mich.-based camp has provided a cost-free summer camp experience to nearly 50,000 at-risk youth in Kalamazoo County, and the books were a welcomed addition to their library. Above, Kalamazoo volleyball players deliver boxes of books to Mitch Wilson, camp director.

Click here to read more the Kalamazoo College volleyball team's community service