The Student Athletes Advisory Committee (SAAC) took part in the annual Operation Christmas Child this past week in order to give back to the Prince Edward and Farmville community.
Longwood senior baseball infielder C. J. Roth, who served as the SAAC President over the past year, helped to lead the charge on the project.
“It’s great to be able to do something for somebody else, and everybody has that same sense of accomplishment and that good feeling you kind of get in your stomach when you’ve been able to help 40 families or 40 kids,” said Roth. “I think overall, everybody was extremely happy and pleased to be able to do it.”
The project is held every year by the Samaritan’s Purse organization, an international relief group that provides help to people all over the world. Operation Christmas Child is an opportunity for people to pack shoeboxes full of gifts and necessities to give to children and families that may not be able to afford having formal Christmas presents.
“We had everything from personal hygiene products to little toys, kind of some fun little things for the kids,” said Roth. “They ask a lot for socks, gloves, stuff that parents may not be able to afford during the winter, personal hygiene, a little bit of toys. We packaged some fun things that brought back our childhood memories, so it was fun to be able to do it.”
The SAAC is a committee made up of student-athletes, as well as a six-member executive board that provides insight on the student-athlete experience. They also offer input about any rules or regulations that affect the lives of student-athletes.
“Alana Mackey (women’s soccer senior) and Sarah Butler (women’s lacrosse senior) and I all went out and purchased the items for the boxes and then we basically formed an assembly line and had boxes at one end and the rest of the SAAC members along the tables filling, sending them down and then organizing as they needed to be,” said Roth.
Roth added, “This year we managed to pack 40 boxes; 20 boys, 20 girls. Last year we managed somewhere around the 20 mark, so this year it was definitely great to be able to increase from last year and help more kids.”
Many people at Longwood, including student athletes, take time out of their busy schedules to give back to the community, and this is one opportunity as the Christmas season quickly approaches.
“It’s an easier way for student athletes to be able to show we care about our communities, we care about other people and we care about everything that’s going on in the world,” said Roth. “The Samaritans Purse organization sends some of these around the world, and there’s a lot of disrupt in the world, and this can bring peace for maybe five or 10 minutes for somebody.”
