Oregon Soccer Gives Back to Community: Part 2
The Oregon women’s soccer team continued their spring community service efforts on May 8 with the second of three spring events when they helped Bertha Holt Elementary School with their Jog-a-thon. Sophomore midfielder Brooke Tasker wrote about the high-energy day that saw the team help the community reach their goals and learn more about healthy lifestyles.
By Brooke Tasker
Sophomore Midfielder
As the University of Oregon women’s soccer team, we pride ourselves on giving back to the community as much as we possibly can. We believe that the opportunities given to us should be shared with the people who support what we do, and we strive to show them that we recognize their presence.
While searching for a community service project we wanted to focus on reaching out to the youth in our community. Luckily, we came across Bertha Holt Elementary school, who was hosting their annual Jog-a-thon on May 8th, and was kind enough to let us join.
All students ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade were given the challenge to run as many laps around the school as they could. Every time they got around from start to finish, they would receive a colored wrist band showing their success. There was music, teachers and students dressed up in exotic outfits, parents supporting their children and endless smiles on the student’s faces.
It was a beautiful sunny day in Eugene with no clouds in the sky. Laughs and competition ran throughout the atmosphere. We assisted in handing out bracelets, waters, running with the students and standing at each corner cheering the energizer bunnies on.
The main focus for the school was to encourage their students to be active and explore what the outdoors has to offer. Whether that is running, playing kickball, playing on the playground or any type of activity that can get them moving, we love seeing students up and active. Our main goal as a team was to hopefully inspire these young individuals and help them understand that anything is possible as long as you put your minds to it. It was instantly rewarding for us after seeing the children enjoy themselves while also being physically active.
