Seven Lehigh student-athletes are involved in an extensive community service project through a new organization called Student-Athletes Leading Social Change. As part of this year's SALSC initiative, student-athletes from around the nation are adopting and raising money for underdeveloped Ecuadorian villages. One way Lehigh is raising funds is through an all-day Phone-A-Thon this Thursday (Feb. 3) in the University Center.
Two leaders at each school are chosen to spearhead the fundraising efforts. For Lehigh, it's Jessica Miller (field hockey) and Angelo DiGiacinto (men's swimming), while Erica Prosser (women's basketball), Katey Fardelmann (field hockey), Alyssa Donahue (women's track), Anna Patterson (women's lacrosse) and Liz Lucas (softball) are also heavily involved and have been working on the project for months.
"I've always been interested in helping people," said Miller. "From something small, to helping a friend out, to doing something on a global scale such as this, I feel like it's what I was meant to do. Until a few years ago, I didn't realize that my passion for helping people could become a career. Organizations like SALSC make me realize that I can do this for the rest of my life."
This comes one year after Prosser spearheaded an initiative to raise funds and build a school in Kenya. Last summer, she went to a small village and helped build a school for the local community. She spent 10 days there and along with 14 other student-athletes from SALSC, constructed a school using sand, cement, water and bricks.
"I have been a part of several community initiatives such as SALSC, but none have been more meaningful to me than this," said DiGiacinto. "Erica did such an amazing job last year, and Jess and I are working especially hard to continue her tradition. SALSC has grown tremendously at Lehigh since last year, and we hope it continues to every year. My goal is to show the Lehigh community that SALSC is a committed group of students who wish to make a global change."
This year's SALSC initiative is to adopt villages in Old Quito, Ecuador and raise money to build and furnish schools in those villages. Led by Miller and DiGiacinto, the Mountain Hawks are holding a "Jail Bail" Phone-A-Thon this Thursday (Feb. 3) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the University Center Room 308. Everyone - especially Lehigh students, faculty and staff - are invited to "jail." The "prisoners" will have to "bail themselves out" by calling friends, family, alumni and local businesses to ask for donations.
Lehigh's goal is to raise $17,500 by Mar. 1. That would enable the group to build a school and send three student-athletes to Ecuador to help build it.
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