May 18, 2009
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UTEP student-athletes completed more than 1,500 hours of community service during the 2008-09 academic year. Last year, the 16 varsity teams compiled around 1,000 hours.
Life Skills Coordinator, Darnell Talbert, reminds us that one of Conference USA's goals is to be the best at the Division I-A level in community involvement.
"At UTEP, we stress the development of positive communal attitudes through giving back to the community that supports us so much," Talbert said. "Our student-athletes have certainly shown through their efforts this year that they care about the Sun City and the surrounding communities."
Whether it was the football team spending time with the Boys & Girls Club or the rifle team collecting food for the West Texas Food Bank, UTEP student-athletes have been doing their best to become a valuable part of the El Paso and Western Texas communities.
"It's great to see so many of our student-athletes getting out into the area," said Athletic Department Compliance Director Lynn Meade, who signs off and oversees all community service efforts. "To exceed last year's numbers really shows how much UTEP's student-athletes care about their community."
The softball team led the way for Miner athletics by logging a little more than 500 hours of community service in 2008-09. Nearly 300 of those hours came during visits to local elementary schools students, by participating in the Miracle League of El Paso and by walking in the third-annual Braden Aboud Memorial Run/Walk. The team was honored with the Athletic Director's Community Service Award at the 35th-annual "Dinner with the Miners" awards banquet.
"It has been a pleasure for the young members of local the Boys & Girls Club to have interacted with the student-athletes from UTEP this past year," said Vanessa Saenz, one of the staff members of the local Boys & Girls Club. "The student-athletes from UTEP have provided our kids with positive role models, as well as enhancing their educational experience through athletics.
"The Boys & Girls Club members also enjoyed going to the games and seeing the athletes in action," Saenz said. "The student-athletes had discussions with the children on improving academies and attendance, as well as the importance of making positive choices in their lives. When celebrating the National Boys & Girls Club week, the children anxiously awaited their arrival. We look forward to continuing that particular program with UTEP Athletics for many years to come."
The Miner volleyball team volunteered more than 200 hours through performing various free clinics for local youth, while the women's basketball team was instrumental in the success of the National Girls & Women in Sports Day. UTEP Athletic staffers, such as the Marketing Department, got involved in the efforts to support the troops of local Army platoons at Ft. Bliss. They set up events for student-athletes to visit the troops on base as a team to encourage and thank them for their services.
The UTEP Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) was recognized by Conference USA in their contributions to the conference wide contest, "Let's SAAC Hunger." They were praised for their themed efforts, "Bring Rice Down," and "Blow Away Hunger & the Tulsa Hurricanes," which raised nearly 2,000 pounds for the West Texas Food Bank.
Community service is stressed as a valuable learning tool and growth opportunity for student-athletes as part of the UTEP Life Skills Program, in addition to SAAC.
With a new academic year on the horizon, UTEP and its student-athletes will look to become an even more invaluable part of the community in 2009-10.
"We can't stop here," Talbert said. "UTEP Athletics can be even more instrumental in the community next year."
