BATON ROUGE — Student-athletes at LSU are known for their exemplary community service efforts, and members of the SEC West champion women’s soccer team spent Saturday building a house in the Tearose Subdivision with the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge.
Team captain Casey Crawford, Nazily Alcoser, Amanda Carreno, Brittany Lowe, Lindsay Lum, Michelle Makasini and Malorie Rutledge joined Habitat for Humanity at the job site at 7:45 a.m. where they painted and worked on hanging doors and installing trim on the interior of the house until about 3 p.m.
Habitat for Humanity is the only organization building in the Rosewood Subdivision, which is a new neighborhood located three miles south of the LSU campus near Gardere Lane.
“I think this was a great experience for all of us,” Crawford said. “We had a lot of fun today helping the people at Habitat for Humanity. I’ve had the chance to work with them in the past and it’s something we all hope to do again in the future. Giving back to the community is something that is important to this program, and I know the girls got a lot out of this experience today.”
The soccer team has stepped up in its community service efforts in the past few days as Crawford, Alcoser, Lowe and Jackie Moseley spent time Friday morning talking to students at North Corbin Elementary School in Walker about the importance of preparation for next week’s LEAP tests.
They discussed how to handle taking tests, how to prepare for the tests and how to stay motivated when facing adversity. After speaking with students, they answered questions and offered advice.
The school visits are sponsored by the Shaquille O’Neal CHAMPS/Life Skills Program. The CHAMPS (Challenging Athletes Minds for Personal Success)/Life Skills Program was designed by the NCAA to help student-athletes realize higher academic achievement, increase likelihood of graduation and enter a chosen profession with a high level of vision, knowledge, motivation, self-responsibility and greater overall success.
In Spring 2003, the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program at LSU honored one of the Tigers’ most memorable graduates by naming the program after basketball great Shaquille O’Neal.
“I’m proud of our kids for the commitment they’ve shown on the field, in the classroom and in the community,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “We believe we have the type of environment here at LSU where a student-athlete can come in and mature both as a student and as an athlete. We take great pride as an athletic program in the service of our student-athletes.”