May 5, 2009
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. Lindsay Walker, a junior from Fayetteville, Ga., is the 2009 selection from South Carolina for the 2009 SEC Softball Community Service Team. The rest of the team is as follows:
Catherine Dozier, Sophomore, Alabama
Dozier participated in more than 70 hours worth of community service as she has worked at the Lakeshore Foundation for various events including teaching wheelchair-bound children to play sports and the mini-slam Kids Camp. She also participated in the Together We CAN Drive, trail building/maintenance and paliate work for ISV/Mackay, Woodland Forest’s Fall Festival and Project Angel Tree. The engineer major also contributed time at the local animal shelter and with Read Across America. She is a 2008-09 SEC Academic Honor Roll selection and a member of Alpha Lambda Delta.
Whitney Cloer, Senior, Arkansas
Cloer was involved in the 2008 SEC initiative, “Together We CAN” with University of Arkansas SAAC and participated in SAAC “Make a Difference” Day in which members visited local nursing homes for pumpkin carving with residents for Halloween. She also visited local elementary schools for Book Hogs (reading to children) and Sweat Hawgs (promoting exercise and nutrition) programs and took part in “Adopt A Street” in which Stadium Drive on the University of Arkansas campus was cleaned. The kinesiology major was also involved in “Christmas Shop” (area kids taken shopping at Toys `R Us) with SAAC and participated in “Lift Up America” which benefited Northwest Arkansas food shelters and agencies. A native of Edmond, Okla., she is a member of University of Arkansas’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has served as the SAAC secretary for the 2008-09 academic year.
Anna Thompson, Junior, Auburn
Thompson’s community service efforts include Toys for Tots drive, reading to elementary school kids and serving as a Camp ASCCA sports camp volunteer. In addition, Thompson was a volunteer for the SEC We CAN Food Drive. The finance and accounting double major also volunteer for the Alpha Chi Omega Dodgeball Tournament, a philanthropy to raise money for domestic violence awareness.
Francesca Enea, Junior, Florida
Enea’s community service efforts include: CAMP Gator: CAMP Gator stands for Collegiate Athletes Mentoring Program … Enea mentors at-risk middle school students in the Gainesville area; Party in the Park: Volunteered with other softball team members at UF women’s baseketball’s Party in the Park where they face painted and played with young children; Gators White Out Cancer: Volunteered with other UF student-athletes to educated fans on the dangers of skin cancer while passing out sun screen and hats before the football game against Hawaii; Climb for Cancer Sports Camp: The camp is held annually at Florida and allows children who either have been diagnosed with cancer or whose family members have been to interact and participate in sporting events led by Gator student-athletes … This year, Enea, along with teammate Stacey Nelson, planned the entire event as the co-chairs; Swing for Cancer: Enea created and organized the first annual Swing for Cancer event in which members of the community came out to meet the softball team, children 12 and under participated in a mini-softball clinic and fans watched as current Gators student-athletes and coaches tried to hit off senior All-American pitched Stacey Nelson. Pledge cards were handed out and all donations were given to Shands Cancer Research Hospital, which is now being built across the street from UF; Sock it to Alabama: Enea organized a sock drive as fans brought socks to the softball series against Alabama, which were then donated to local organization for people in need. She recruited other student-athletes to volunteer to collect the socks and after the event, sorted and counted the total. In two days, the Gators collected 400 socks to donate.; Weekly Visits to Shands Hospital: Enea makes weekly trips to Shands Hospital to visit with patients and read and play with young children. Other activities and awards include: Co-representative of the softball team on the SAAC board; Earned the Daily Point of Light Award on March 9 for her community service efforts; Read to children at UF’s Kindercare Enrichment School and spoke to them about what it means to be a Gator; A top-25 finalist for USA Softball’s Player of the Year Award.
Sarah McCloud, Sophomore, Georgia
In addition to her time spent on the softball field and in the classroom, McCloud has found time to contribute to the community through various projects. The sophomore from Celina, Texas has become a member of the Athens area community assisting with Special Olympics SOAR Run, reading to local elementary school students and participating in Southeastern Conference can food drive.
Samantha DeMartine, Sophomore, Kentucky
DeMartine has participated in various community service events inluding serving as a volunteer at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, God’s Pantry Food Drive, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Salvation Army Bell Ringing, Kentucky Special Olympics Bowling, Ronald McDonald House, FSMA Walk, UK Children’s Hospital Activity Night, UK FUSION, Big Blue U.-event welcoming incoming freshmen, UK Athletes Canned Food Drive. The kinesiology and health promotion education major was also named to the Fall 2008 Dean’s List.
Ashley Applegate, Sophomore, LSU
Applegate’s service projects include: Keep Baton Rouge Beautiful Campaign – Picked up debris and trash from Hurricane Gustav downtown; ALS Walk – Participated in walk to help raise money for Lou Gehrig’s disease research; Christmas Toy Drive – Her and her teammates adopted an underprivileged child and raised money to buy presents; Sacred Heart Elementary Fall Festival – Set up and ran softball throw station; Halloween BOOzar – Spearheaded ball toss activity and handed out candy to kids; Big Buddy Program’s Evening of Champions – Served as a role model and played activities with children; Tutored Students at Westdale Heights and Airline Elementary Schools; Breast Cancer awareness volunteer at Circle Bowl event and volunteered at Senior Olympics.
Courtnie Ghinaudo, Junior, Mississippi
Ghinaudo participated in National Student-Athlete Day, REading with the Rebels, the SEC Canned Food Drive and Rebel Re-Runs, giving and collecting shoes for Kenyans. The accounting major was also a member of the 2008 SEC Community Service Team, UMAA Honor Roll for three years, Dean’s List and the SEC Honor Roll.
Sammie Jo Bailey, Senior, Mississippi State
Bailey’s community service projects include: Bully Choices Student-Athlete Committee Representative (MSU’s Bully Choices Alcohol Education Program); Day One Leadership Community (Built a bookshelf and provided books for a local family); Bully’s Book Blitz (Reading to local elementary school children); Mississippi State’s M-Club Thanksgiving Food Drive; Operation Christmas Child; SEC Canned Food Drive; Campus Trash Pick-ups; and Painted Paw Prints on Campus Streets. Other activities include: MSU Student-Athlete Advisory Council President; MSU’s M-Club Treasurer; MSU’s female nominee for Boyd-McWhorter Post-Graduate Scholarship; Three-time NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete; Three-time Academic All-SEC; Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
Lindsay Walker, Junior, South Carolina
Walker helped build a homeless shelter, has worked on a number of food drives, participated in a park cleaning crew near campus, and helped raise money during the Strike Out Cancer event for the Komen For the Cure Foundation.
Erinn Webb, Junior, Tennessee
Webb has participated in the SEC “Together We Can” Food Drive and the Knoxville Second Harvest Food Drive, Worked with Habitat for Humanity, Visited East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Worked at numerous Knoxville Youth Sports Free Clinics, Participated in the “Teams and Toys Wrapping Party” that helped buy and wrap gifts for underprivileged children, worked the University of Tennessee “April Play Day” to benefit local youth, Helped prepare Thanksgiving Dinner for Knoxville homeless, Participated in the “Lift Up America” program as well as in a benefit fundraiser for Leukemia and Lymphoma Research.
