Champions of Character Year in Review - St. Ambrose
The St. Ambrose University Athletic Department embraces the NAIA Champions of Character program through the St. Ambrose Leadership Academy. The Leadership Academy challenges our student-athletes to participate in a minimum of four community outreach experiences and attend four personal growth and leadership seminars.
St. Ambrose student-athletes volunteered more than 6500 community service hours in 2017-2018. Here are some examples of their service.
St. Ambrose Leadership Academy Personal Growth
Fighting Bee Athletic Orientation
Presentation by the Athletic Director outlining expectations and goals for the upcoming year. Expectation Contract and NAIA Student-Athlete Pledge are discussed and signed by student-athletes.
Take Two : Sexual Assault Awareness Program
Mandatory for all student-athletes to attend. Sexual Assault Awareness and Bystander Intervention is an original play written by SAU's theater Professor Dan Hale and is performed by SAU Theater students. The play discusses the important issue of sexual violence and is followed immediate with a debriefing session.
Walk a Mile In Her Shoes
Male student-athletes and coaches join men across the world and wear women's shoes, and walk a mile. This is a unique and fun-spirited way to educate the community about the serious issue of sexualized violence.
Thomas Zinkula, Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport - Success in Life
Bishop Zinkula spoke to more than 300 student-athletes about his experiences in life from his early years of growing up in eastern Iowa to his days as a student-athlete at Cornell College. His decorated high school and collegiate football experiences help him forge a "team approach." With passion and energy, Bishoop Zinkula gave advice to St. Ambrose student-athletes to help them be successful while at St. Ambrose. He spoke of the need to be generous to others and the importance of having God present in their lives.
Matt McDowell, Co-Director of EXCEL Leadership Academy - Do the Right Thing
No stranger to St. Ambrose Athletics, Matt McDowell spoke to the freshman student-athletes at the annual welcome dinner. McDowell talked about his time on campus when he was a student-athlete and encouraged the young student-athletes to "Do the Right Thing." He encouraged the student-athletes to get involved in the community and to be great role models for the youth of the community.
St. Ambrose Leadership Academy Athletic Department Community Service
Bee Haul
Returning student-athletes helped incoming students move into campus housing.
Urban Plunge
More than 300 first-year student-athletes joined other incoming freshman to volunteer for a day giving back to the community.
Bee A Buddy Program
Individual student-athletes or teams volunteered hundreds of hours in local elementary schools. Projects include reading programs, after-school programs, and mentor programs.
Camp Excel Leadership Academy
The Men's Basketball Program volunteered at Camp Excel whose mission is to motivate and engage kids ages 5-15 that will enable them to fulfill their individual potential. While the basketball team conducted a variety of sports clinics, it also taught sportsmanship, being a good teammate, and the importance of academic success.
Bee the Difference Day
Approximately 300 students and student-athletes volunteer helped their St. Ambrose neighbors in various clean-up projects.
Christmas Giving Program
In its 24th year, St. Ambrose student-athletes purchased, wrapped and delivered more than 800 Christmas gifts to local elementary kids, The Salvation Army, and the Davenport Police Outreach Program.
Food Pantries and Meal Services
St. Ambrose student-athletes volunteered hundreds of hours in local food pantries (Riverbend Food Pantry and Zion Lutheran Church Food Pantry) and served meals to the less fortunate at the Salvation Army of the Quad Cities and Café on Vine. The St. Ambrose Marching Band also started a food pantry at Davenport North High School for high school students who needed food during after-school programs. Over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, the Men's Basketball Team helped package and deliver more than 300 meals to families in need.
Night to Shine
The Men's Basketball and Soccer teams volunteered at the "Night to Shine" on February 9, 2018. Organized by the Tim Tebow Foundation, 537 churches from around the world came together to host Night To Shine and provided an unforgettable prom night experience for people with special needs ages 14 and older.
First Tee Golf Clinic
The Men's Golf team hosted a golf clinic with the First Tee of the Quad Cities as part of the 2018 NAIA Men's Golf National Championships, hosted by St. Ambrose. The team conducted a clinic at Red Hawk Golf Club in Davenport in conjunction with the NAIA Champions of Character initiative.
Service Trips
While traveling to Florida for games in December, the Women's Basketball team volunteered at the Heart of Florida United Way - Mustard Seed. The team spent the day sorting donations, counting, organizing displays and hanging hundreds of items of clothing.
The Soccer team, while making a trip to Jamaica, provided free soccer equipment the team collected prior to the trip and held youth soccer clinics teaching soccer skills as well as talking to the young athletes about the NAIA Champions of Character program, emphasizing sportsmanship and about being a good teammate.
Charity Benefits
The St. Ambrose Athletic Department continued this year to help fellow Bees in need. Coordinated by the Women's Basketball team, efforts raised funds for Mason Flynn. Mason, a sophomore member of the SAU Football program, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
The Dance and Cheer programs coordinated a benefit for Reid Gleeson, son of former Head Men's Volleyball Coach Bill Gleeson. The volleyball team held a "Rally for Reed" in March. Reed was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma in August 2017.