Women’s Soccer held a day of service at the Franklin County Humane Society Planned Pethood and Adoption Center.
“We want to do service projects throughout the year because I want the team to understand how important it is for us to give back to our community,” Head Coach Erin Saleeby said.
One of the team’s core values they set at the beginning of the year was serving others.
“I don’t think that they always understand how much of an impact they can make on the world. This gives them an idea on what they can do together,” Saleeby said. “Most college students aren’t from towns they actually go to school in, and being able to get into that community and give back is really great. It allows for them to also feel like this is their community.”
This is the third time Women’s Soccer has had a day of service with the Franklin County Humane Society Planned Pethood and Adoption Center.
“I want the team to do service projects because it’s the right thing to do, and I hope that they will continue to volunteer even after they graduate from college,” Saleeby said. “I think that doing these kinds of things definitely builds their connection and their team work as well. Whenever you’re doing something for someone else and acting in a selfless way, it’s going to give you a good feeling. When you get to do that with your best friends, it makes it even better.”
Senior Haley Woodward helped organize wet and dry dog and cat food, and also helped organize their storage room.
“We always have a really great time working at the humane society. A lot of us have animals of our own,” Woodward said. “A big group of us were sitting in the cat room together, and we had a fun time petting them. It felt great to give attention to animals that are probably pretty lonely.”
Junior Anna Milliron agrees.
“I think it’s really special that our team gets the opportunity to serve our community. It’s a good feeling knowing that we get to make a difference locally,” Milliron said. “After volunteering with the Humane Society, I realized how many animals they take in that need homes. The animals we took care of were so sweet and loving. We also realized how easy it is to make a difference, just by playing and taking care of the animals.”
This is what Saleeby hopes for when the team does these service projects.
“When we do service, the team works really hard. They take pride in what we are doing and have an understanding that we aren’t there to check a box,” Saleeby said. “We are there to help others and makes their lives easier. These are lessons that I hope they take with them long after they have graduated from Ferrum.”
