Buckeyes give back to Columbus community through 117 local organizations, schools and events
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State student-athletes combined to serve the Columbus community with 6,496 hours of community service at 117 local organizations, schools and events during the 2008-09 season. Leading the way was the cheerleading team with an outstanding 1,671 hours, followed by the football team with 799 hours and the men's track and field team in third with 728.
A total of eight teams clocked in with over 200 hours, including men's lacrosse (389), wrestling (328), rowing (276.5), women's hockey (232) and field hockey (208).
"We are very proud of the time and energy Ohio State student-athletes have volunteered throughout the Columbus area," Miechelle Willis, Ohio State's Senior Associate Athletics Director, said. "They really stepped up their service this year, truly embracing and understanding the value of giving back to the community."
Along with their time, several teams raised money or collected donated items for organizations. The softball team raised $15,000 for the Stefanie Spielman Fund for breast cancer research during its 2008 Ohio Collegiate Charity Classic in October. Women's gymnastics donated $425 to the Holy Family Soup Kitchen along with canned food items the team collected in combination with the men's gymnastics squad.
The field hockey team held a season-long drive to collect items for Operation Buckeye, an organization that ships care packages to U.S. troops serving overseas, and after much success the Buckeyes decided to continue the drive this season. Men's soccer and men's volleyball took time out in the spring to go to the Operation Buckeye headquarters and assemble the care packages for shipment.
During its final homestand of the season, the women's hockey team collected toiletry donations for the Community Kitchen, Inc., and dropped off 28 bags of items to the organization. Near the holiday season, the women's volleyball team also held a collection for the Community Kitchen, gathering toys to give to children in need and made a donation of 100 toys.
Below is a list of organizations, schools and events the Buckeyes volunteered with during 2008-09:
2nd & 7 Foundation
Adventures for Wish Kids
ALS Walk
Arlington Court Nursing Home
Athletes in Action
Avalon Elementary School
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio
Blendon Middle School
Boy Scouts of America
Boys & Girls Club of Columbus
BuckeyeThon
Burroughs Elementary School
Capital Area Humane Shelter
Chabad of Columbus' LifeTown
Children's Hunger Alliance
Chimes Junior Class Honorary
Clinton Elementary School
Cranbrook Elementary School
Columbus Academy
Columbus City Schools
Columbus Marathon
Columbus Reads
Columbus School for Girls
Columbus Zoo
Community Kitchen, Inc.
D.A.R.E. Program
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Deer Run Elementary School
Deshler Elementary School
Drive the Dream Gala
Dublin Baptist Church
Dublin Chapman Elementary School
Eli Pinney Elementary School
Fair Alternative Elementary School
FCI Academy
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Fifth Avenue Elementary School
Franklin County Dog Shelter
Franklin Elementary School
Friends of the Scioto River
Genoa Baptist Church
Girl Scouts of America
Girls Inc. Summer Camp
Glen Oak Elementary School
Governor's Council on People with Disabilities
GRASP Program
Great Western Academy
Grove City United Methodist Church
Habitat for Humanity
Hannah Aston Middle School
Harambee Christian School
Hawthorne Elementary School
Heartland Nursing Facility
Herbert Mills Elementary School
Hockey Beats Down Breast Cancer
Holy Family Soup Kitchen
Hope Street Kids
Houston Food Bank
Indian Springs Elementary
Indian Run Elementary
Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital
Joseph Edward Torrens Memorial Fund
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Lake Erie Swimming Association
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Walk
Liberty Elementary School
Licking Heights West
Lifeline Ohio
LIVE STRONG Summit
London Elementary School
March of Dimes
McVay Elementary School
Mid States Swimposium
Muscular Dystrophy Association
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Women and Girls in Sports Day
Nationwide Children's Hospital
North Linden Elementary School
Ohio Food Bank
Ohio State University Medical Center
Ohio Wheelchair Games
Ohio Youth Flag Football
Operation Buckeye
OSU Kids Corps (AmeriCorps)
Our Daily Bread
Park University
Partners for Citizenship
Prairie Norton Elementary School
Project Read
Ray Mendoza 5K
Reach Out and Read
Relay for Life
Rhema Christian Center
Right to Read
Ronald McDonald House
SAAB Mothers Day 5K
Salem Elementary School
Salvation Army
Scottwood Elementary School
South Mifflin Elementary School
Special Olympics
St. Vincent Family Centers
Stefanie Spielman Fund
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
Sutter Park School
Sycamore Creek Church
The Angel Network
Turkey Trot Ohio
Tuttle Park Clean-Up Project
Uplifting Athletes
VA Clinic
Waggoner Road Junior High School
Walk to Break the Silence
West Broad Elementary School
West Franklin Elementary School
Winterset Elementary School
Zanesville City School
