The Hood College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee recently participated in two community service activities, involving reading to elementary school children and assisting neighbors with yard work.

Several members of the Hood SAAC participated in Walkersville Elementary School's Scholastic Book Fair during the school's "Athletes Are Heroes" Reading Night on Oct. 11.

Junior Doug Raftery of the men's soccer team, junior Mollie Widdowson and first-year Kathryn Papuchis of the track and field team, senior Anne Marie Hantman of the field hockey team, junior George Mineff of the men's lacrosse team, senior Brittany Sabol and first-year Jenn Rutherford of the softball team, senior Abby Dyjack of the women's soccer team and junior Helene Butler and sophomore Amalia Franzese of the women's lacrosse team spent an afternoon reading a variety of stories to the youngsters at Walkersville.

The Blazers then teamed up to assist several neighboring families along Magnolia Avenue, one of the streets that runs alongside Hood's new turf field, by raking leaves for the neighbors. In a partnership with SPURS, Hood's student-athlete peer-mentoring group, the Blazers' good-will gesture was an effort to let the neighbors know that they are appreciated.

The efforts were also intended to thank the neighbors for their patience from having vehicles occupy their parking spaces during athletic contests, balls accidentally getting kicked or thrown into their yards and excessive noise coming from the music and public address system at the turf field during home games.

Representatives of Hood's SAAC at this event included: sophomores Brittni Jones and Kandie Glenn of the softball team, sophomore Nalla Tejera, junior Chris DiGangi, sophomore Brett Shelley and senior Ola Komolafe of the track and field team, juniors Emily Schrodel and Laura Saad of the women's tennis team, seniors Abby Dyjack and Alexa Hubicki of the women's soccer team, senior Aaron Prescott of the men's golf team, senior Patsy Davis and sophomores Miriah Stone and Megan Cahill of the field hockey team, junior Jon Butterfield and first-year Nick May of the men's soccer team, junior Nick Spicer and sophomore Travis Kline of the men's lacrosse team and first-year Megan Feldtmose, sophomores Jen Civick, Kimi Brunot and Amalia Franzese and juniors Julia Banks, Helene Butler and Ashley Edwards of the women's lacrosse team.

The leaf-raking venture was well-received by the Magnolia neighbors and SAAC is hoping to assist the community in similar ways in the future.

"It is definitely an event that we would like to continue in the future, and hopefully we can make it an annual occurrence," said Raftery, this year's SAAC president. "The respect that our neighbors gave us was very warm, and we noticed how important they are to making the Hood College community what it is."