Trinity Christian Student-Athletes In Service Action

Committed to making a difference on campus and in the community, to fulfilling the mission of the College, and to following the NAIA Champions of Character initiative, the Athletics Department at Trinity Christian College served both local and distance communities in various ways throughout the 2018-19 school year. Each athletics team shared their gifts and talents, participated in community events, and demonstrated the love of Christ through word and action. Through the activities, Trinity's teams and coaches were blessed as they developed stronger team chemistry and established community relationships.

"We encourage our student-athletes to be involved on campus and in the community to enrich their whole student-athlete experience," said Athletics Director Mark Hanna. "Our coaches and teams have found a variety of ways to give back, to engage with others, and to make a positive impact to those around them."

Here are some of the ways in which Trinity student-athletes served:
● The women's soccer team started their preseason in August on a mission trip to Costa Rica. During the trip the team served the local community, spent time with children in the villages and in orphanages, distributed food to needy families, played in soccer games with local teams, and shared the gospel.

● The women's volleyball team volunteered in packing food at Feed My Starving Children.

● Members of the women's and men's cross country teams once again volunteered at the Dutch Festival, a major community event sponsored by Elim Christian School. The team members helped out with a variety of activities and provided needed services throughout the day.

● The women's basketball team worked with special needs students on classroom projects and assisted with their "Walk and Roll-a-thon" at Eisenhower Cooperative Special Needs School.

● Members of the men's volleyball team volunteered to help out at a jazz concert at Moraine Valley Church.

● The baseball team continued their relationship with Faith in Action and once again worked in splitting logs and stacking wood at a site that serves a local community.

● The women's soccer team served a couple of times with Southside Pregnancy Center and helped out at various events such as their spring fundraising banquet.

● The softball team developed a relationship with the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Multiple times they went to the Ronald McDonald House at Advocate and Lurie Children's Hospitals to prepare and serve meals as well as conduct family activities. They also wrote Valentine's Day cards to patients at Advocate. The team dedicated a game in April to this charity and collected "wish list" items that they donated to the Ronald McDonald House.

● The women's and men's volleyball teams joined forces to spent a few hours giving back to campus as they cleaned and serviced the Fitness Center on campus.

● The women's basketball team volunteered in packing food at Feed My Starving Children.
● The men's soccer teams partnered with Cornerstone Community Center, a homeless shelter in Chicago. They served food, cleaned storage facilities, and moved heavy items used in the facility.

● The softball team worked as instructors with Palos Power 9U and coached the young girls in January through March. They also invited the team to one of their softball double-headers in May.

● The cross country and track and field teams volunteered at Lake Katherine for a day and provided labor to help with their landscaping and grounds.

● The men's baseball team visited with residents and helped out with various tasks at an independent/ assistant living residence during their NCCAA national tournament trip.

● During their trip to Florida at the end of the first semester the women's basketball team help sort food and other items at the Manatee County Food Bank.

● The men's basketball and the softball teams participated in a Leadership Training lab on campus.

● The men's volleyball team volunteered in running games and providing labor at the Dutch Festival, major community event sponsored by Elim Christian Schools in Crestwood.

● The cross country teams donated toys and other times for care packages as a part of the NCCAA national championships.

● The softball team picked a day in April and served the faculty and staff in the Dining Hall on campus. They also set aside a game as Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day.

● Two member of the women's basketball team and the Athletics Leadership Program for Students conducted a leadership workshop for local high school student-leaders.

● A number of teams partnered with SCORE International and the NCCAA in the Water Project to raise money for water houses which provide clean water for the people of the Dominican Republic. At various tournaments as well as home contests, bottles of water were sold and donations were collected with the proceeds going to the project.

In addition to these events many athletes are involved in weekly service opportunities on campus and in acts of kindness that made a difference to their teammates, to other teams, to students on campus, and to those in the community. All of the projects helped to create, build, or strengthen relationships with those in our communities as well on within their own teams and in the department.