BATON ROUGE – LSU track & field junior Brandon Gordon and sophomore gymnast Janelle Garcia were recently selected as the Male and Female Volunteers of the Year.
The student-athletes received the awards based upon criteria which included their total number of community service hours accumulated over the year and the number of projects they were involved with.
A Plaquemine, La., native, Gordon was heavily involved with Habitat for Humanity this past year. He also read to students at local elementary schools and participated in LSU’s Halloween Boozar and Thanksgiving with the Tigers.
“My favorite project was Habitat for Humanity because it is amazing to fulfill someone’s dream by helping them build the home where they will sleep, eat, and raise their children,” Gordon said. “When you’re done, you can easily see how grateful the family is for your help and the feelings of satisfaction you get from seeing that and being a part of that is really something special.”
Garcia, a native of Miami, Fla., volunteered with various projects including the Wheels to Succeed event and the American Heart Association’s Go Healthy Challenge. In addition, she served as a reading buddy with a local elementary school student.
“Partaking in these projects is the least I can do to give back,” said Garcia. “My favorite was the Wheels to Succeed biking event that the gymnastics team sponsored. It’s amazing to see how enjoyable the simple task of riding a bike is for those kids.”
The two were honored at LSU’s baseball game against Tennessee on May 13.