JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 18, 2005) - The East Tennessee State University's women's soccer team has begun a new community service initiative in which the team's student-athletes will participate in a variety of activities such as reading, playing and talking with children at the ETSU Child Studies Center.

            "We just began this relationship this March," said Head Coach Heather Henson. "We actually had a request from a friend whose child attends. The conversation that began the relationship was about giving young people, especially the young girls, strong female role models. The ladies on the ETSU Soccer team are not only good soccer players, they are intelligent, driven and motivated individuals. They know what they want, how to get it, and are willing to work for it. We realize we can pass along some of this to the youth."

            This spring the women's soccer student-athletes have selected four dates on which they will visit the ETSU Child Studies Center and plan to make it a continuing relationship in upcoming seasons.