Tuesday, August 12, 2003

With scheduled events beginning in September and running throughout the next several months, Buccaneer athletes are dedicating themselves to touching the lives of people throughout the Tri-Cities and Mountain Empire region.

"We are extremely excited about this program and what it can mean for both our student-athletes and the people they are going to serve," said Barbie Breedlove, ETSU's associate athletics director and senior woman administrator. "The goal of this program is to streamline our community service efforts. Our teams have always been great at getting involved in the community, but this way we have a singular vision and that will only make those efforts better."

To briefly explain the program, each ETSU head coach was given a list of community organizations that have requested help from the Buccaneer athletics program. Below is a list of some of these organizations and their main areas of focus.

Coalition for Kids - An organization that serves boys and girls from disadvantaged backgrounds such as single-parent homes. Ages range from elementary to middle school.

Ronald McDonald House - Provides housing for critically ill children and their families during times of hospital treatment.

Haven of Mercy Rescue Mission - Provides shelter and meals for the homeless.

Habitat for Humanity (Kingsport) - Provides housing to people that have substandard housing or no housing at all.

Boys and Girls Club - Provides activities and mentoring for boys and girls in the community ranging from ages 6 to 18.

Children's Hospital of Johnson City Medical Center - Provides medical care to children throughout the Mountain Empire.

Communities in Schools, Inc. - CIS is a school dropout prevention organization. Its purpose is to provide human resources to children at risk of leaving school prior to graduation.

Girls Incorporated - Offers a safe and comfortable environment for girls ages 6 to 16 with role models who understand girls' needs, with the goal of challenging girls to maintain high expectations for their own achievement. Second Harvest Food Bank - Has as its mission to collect and distribute food to soup kitchens and other organizations that take on the responsibility of feeding the hungry and needy.

Some ETSU teams have already selected the organization they wish to sponsor and have made plans to participate in specific activities. Listed below are some of these scheduled appearances.