ACU Football players and coaches are participating in the second annual Spring Clean Up to get involved in the community.
Head Coach Adam Dorrel said there is a lot of negative light on college athletics, specifically football, so community service is a way to let people meet players outside of their element. These activities generate support for the university and get people involved with athletics.
“One of the things that I wanted to do when I took over as head coach was to get involved in the community,” Dorrel said. “It’s something I’ve always done; I think it’s important for a lot of reasons.”
Dorrel said over the past year the team has accumulated about 550 hours of community service doing things with local schools, churches, work with Global Samaritan Resources and volunteering with other sporting events on campus.
Usually, community service is done in groups of about four to five people, but the Spring Clean Up involves around 100 players and coaches.
On April 14, the team will assist in yard care for those who cannot do it themselves, or cannot afford it, who have signed up prior to the clean up. Dorrel said last year the team didn’t have enough yards, so this year they are looking for more.
One of the most consistent community service projects is “High-Five Friday” in which the whole athletic department has started participating. On Fridays, athletes wait for kids to come to school in the morning and greet them with high-fives.
Defensive End Tony Davis from Shreveport, Louisiana said he appreciates community service projects for reminding him how blessed he is.
“I’m looking forward to helping other people and getting to know them,” said Davis, a red-shirt freshman nursing major. “We can give our time and effort to help them out.”
Davis said he has participated in community service projects such as coloring boxes to send to kids overseas, attending after school elementary programs and helping out with other athletics.
“Everybody don’t have everything,” Davis said. “I don’t have everything I want, but I have everything I need, and I thank God every day that he gave me that.”
