BENNINGTON, Vt. – The Southern Vermont College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) concluded its second annual holiday toy and clothing drive Monday, promptly loading and delivering all the donations to BROC – Community Action of Southwestern Vermont Tuesday afternoon.
Members of the SAAC filled one of the College’s athletics vans and drove a sizable number of boxes and bags filled with toys in good, working condition and new or slightly used clothing to the Bennington drop-off location.
SVC junior Karina Meza (Los Angeles, California), a psychology major and first-year transfer member of the Southern Vermont women’s soccer team, commented on the SAAC’s accomplishment of once again organizing a drive during the holiday season: “At my junior college, my team did the same thing,” said Meza, “but we didn’t have other teams involved. So to see SAAC get all the teams and athletes to help out is progressive and absolutely great.”
“I really enjoyed it,” continued Meza, “because I feel like we need to have strong community ties as a school; otherwise, what does the community have to say about the institutions it has in its town or city? I was impressed by the amount of teams and athletes who got involved, and I’m really excited to see how much further we can carry it next year.”
BROC will properly distribute the donated items to families in need throughout the area. As described on its website, ‘BROC - Community Action in Southwestern Vermont is committed to empower, support and educate individuals and families to be self-sufficient in their employment, homes and communities through family stabilization and development; education, training and job creation; affordable housing; and expanding community awareness and advocacy in a nurturing environment of respect and dignity ever mindful of cultural diversity.’
SAAC advisor and SVC head baseball coach Dave Gage added that, “I am once again very proud of our student-athletes in their hard work to get this drive organized and have a great turnout with donations. It just adds to the contributions that the SAAC have made this semester to the Athletics Department, the College, and especially the Bennington community.”
The SAAC is a committee made up of student- athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. The SAAC also offers input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses.