ST. GABRIEL, La. — On Saturday morning, 27 members of the LSU track and field teams took time out of their busy fall training schedule to gather in the nearby town of St. Gabriel with the community service organization “Habitat for Humanity” to help give back to the community.
The jumps group came out in full force to participate in the building project with “Habitat for Humanity,” which consists of group leaders and both student and local volunteers coming together to build houses for the less fortunate in the community.
The LSU jumps group, with the assistance of Habitat leaders and student volunteers, helped to turn a bare slab into a fully-framed home for one resident in St. Gabriel.
“Not only does this project offer a way for the LSU student-athletes to give back (to the community), but it also helps to enhance the relationship between the Baton Rouge community and LSU,” said senior Kyle Rose on the team’s participation in such community service projects.
Four members of the LSU jumps group then took the time to drive from St. Gabriel to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center for a trip. Senior Lauren Saucier, senior Marcus McGehee, junior Brandon Gordon and sophomore Brianne Bergeron visited the children’s wing of the hospital and spent time with a number of the kids who are currently patients at the facility.
“To be able to go in there and visit with these kids, and to see the looks on their faces when you give them that poster is just priceless,” McGehee said. “It really makes you feel good when you can make somebody feel that way, even if it is just for a few minutes.”
While Saturday was the first organized community service effort by the LSU track and field program here in the fall, many more are in the planning stages as the teams look forward to future opportunities.