May 1, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The SEC sponsors Community Service Teams for all 20 league sponsored sports. The Community Service Team looks to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to her community in superior service efforts. The 2008 SEC Softball Community Service Team follows:

Jordan Praytor, Senior, Alabama
Praytor helped host the Halloween Extravaganza, an event which gives kids in the community a safe Halloween. She also helped Project Angel Tree with the collecting of donations and shopping of presents for kids who have a parent incarcerated. The Vancouver, Wash. native also helped promote the importance of physical exercise and nutrition to kids through the Gatorade Get 60 program. Other efforts include visting patients in the hearing center at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, collecting canned food for the West Alabama Food Bank, reading at University Place Elementary School for “Read Across America”, serving food at the Kiwanis Club Pancakce Day and visiting with residents at Capstone Village. Praytor is also a Lowe’s CLASS Award nominee, a member of Blue Key Society, an SEC Honor Roll selection and a member of the University Honors Program.

Dayna Huckabee, Senior, Arkansas
Huckabee’s community service projects include volunteering for Sweat Hogs for four years, Razorbacks for Christmas for four years, and Arkansas Athletes Outreach for four years. With AAO, she helped with camps, clinics and coordinated activities for children. The Texarkana, Ark. native also visited nursing homes at Halloween, served on a canned food drive for the Battered Women’s Shelter and was a K’Life Small Group leader (a local children’s ministry). In addition, she played and taught softball to children of Champs League. The kinesiology major is also a three-year member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Jorja Bell, Senior, Auburn
Bell has served as a coordinator for a canned food drive and has participated in the local Toys for Tots program. The Auckland, New Zealand native has also volunteered for the Auburn Halloween Fest and participated in Sportsmanship initiative for All Auburn All Athletes. The human development and family studies major also served as treasurer of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

Mary Ratliff, Senior, Florida
This season, Ratliff has spent considerable time involved in community service through Goodwill Gators, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and as a member of the softball team. The Mt. Sterling, Ky. native collected canned goods for the annual Harvest Food Drive and assisted kids attending the Climb for Cancer Sports Camp. The political science major was a guest speaker at a public speaking class about presenting self well infront of media, etc. and she spent a morning helping to build a Habitat for Humanity House through the Women Build Program Assisted at a Softball Clinic. Ratliff also served dinner at the Ronald McDonald House, mentored a middle school student at PK Younge Middle School, visited teenagers at Shands Hospital through the Streetlight Program, was a pen pal with a fourth grade student through Gator Pen Pals and helped to collect and deliver shoes with the Gator Tracks program at Christmas.

Melissa Wood, Senior, Georgia
Senior Melissa Wood has not only found the time to balance academics and athletics while at Georgia, but she has also managed her schedule to be able to participate in a wide range of community programs. Wood has aided the Special Olympics by working with physical education classes and helping with the S.O.A.R. 5K Run (Special Olympics Annual Run). During the S.O.A.R. event, Wood spent time with the athletes during a sleepover the night before, and then assisted before and during the run the next morning. In 2008, Wood’s encouragement got the entire UGA softball team involved in the event. Another program in which Wood has helped the Athens youth community is the UGA Field Day. Wood talked with elementary students about issues such as staying off drugs and the importance of staying physically active. She also spent a day with the Girl Scouts of Athens to talk about the importance of being involved in athletic activity. Furthermore, she has lent a hand in food banks to collect cans at football games, and she has mentored local elementary school students.

Ashley Dimkich, Senior, Kentucky
Senior Ashley worked as a mentor in the Cats Cultivating Character, and for the Big Blue U. She also worked the UK Athletes Canned Food Drive and God’s Pantry Food Drive. In addition, the San Marino, Calif. native was the Kentucky nominee for the esteemed McWhorter Award. She was also inducted into the Frank G. Ham society of character. The team captain, Dimkich is a three-time All-SEC Academic team selection and won the 2008 CATSPY award for supporting role.

Shannon Stein, Senior, LSU
Stein participated in the United Way Day of Caring Kickoff Event where she won the pancake flipping contest, besting Baton Rouge Major Kip Holden. She volunteers at the St. Vincent DePaul shelter several times a semester making meals for the homeless and helping out around the shelter. Stein also participated in the Big Buddy “Day of the Mentor” event which included breakfast and lunch with their Little Buddies and various activities around campus throughout the day and in the “Read Across America” program, where she wore a striped red and white “Cat in the Hat” hat and read to the children at Bernard Terrace Elementary. Stein delivered Easter baskets to disadvantaged elementary school students for the holidays as part of the “Build a Basket” program and participated in the St. Clare Nursing Home Mardi Gras parade. The Upland, Calif. native participated in the Tigerpalooza event to benefit former LSU student-athlete Robin DesOrmeaux in her battle with cancer and in the MDA “Strides and Rides” event to help raise money to support the association. She participated in the SEC’s Together We Can food drive to donate food to the local food bank and helps coordinate the annual Halloween BOOzar, which allows children to trick-or-treat with LSU athletes. In addition, she helps coordinate the annual Christmas Toy Drive, in which teams sponsor disadvantaged children and provide them with Christmas presents and visits Our Lady of the Lake Hospital’s children’s ward to cheer up the sick children

Courtnie Ghinaudo, Sophomore, Ole Miss
Ghinaudo participated in the SEC Canned Food Drive,National Student Athlete Day and volunteered time at the North Mississippi Regional Hospital. She also participated in Habitat for Humanity and is a member of SAAC.

Hayle Guess, Mississippi State
Guess has severd as the M-Club President for two years. She has also organized or participated in the Thanksgiving Food Drive (supports 9-12 families in Oktibbeha County), Toy Drive for ICS Head Start, Donations to the Palmer Home and Asera Care Hospice Home, Charity Halloween Carnival that raises money for sick children, Bully’s Book Blitz, Dr. Seuss Day, Take a Kid to the Game Day, Girls Sports Day, Special Olympics and the Ward Stewart Elementary “tail-gaiting” party, where she spent the day with 4th grade students as a reward for their reading accomplishments.

Ashton Payne, Junior, South Carolina
Payne has served as a Heathwood Elementary “Be Active Day” volunteer, a Harvest Hope Food Bank volunteer, a Leaphart Elementary School Walk volunteer and a Serve the City’s Homeless volunteer. The Richmond, Va. native is also an SEC Honor Roll selection.

Lillian Hammond, Junior, Tennessee
Hammond, on numerous occasions, has spent time visiting with the children at the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and has volunteered her time instructing kids at various Knox Youth Sports Clinics around the local area. The Chattanooga, Tenn. native has also served as a speaker at a Future Business Leader event at Knoxville’s Bearden High School and has been a VolScholar Peer Mentor.