The Bell Ringer

Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: Sports

The Cross Country team excels on and off the track. The team, which made its first NCAA Championships appearance last season, is to receive an award for volunteer work at Regency Hospice.

Leah Layman, the Volunteer Coordinator at Regency Hospice, is organizing a Volunteer Appreciation banquet.

"It was very important to me that the students understand how important volunteering in the community is, not only for their community but for their resumes and the benefits they themselves gain from volunteering," she said.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) encourages ASU athletes to help out in the community. They schedule J.A.G.S. (Jaguars Actively Giving Service) Week, a week for athletes to volunteer.

Kara Kreutzer is a member of SAAC and the cross country team. During J.A.G.S. Week last October, she and teammates went to Regency Hospice and helped decorate pumpkins for the patients. Kreutzer said she wished she could have interacted with the patients and had more of a personal touch, but she is glad the patients get a smile out of receiving the gifts.

When Regency was short on volunteers, Kreutzer and her teammates returned. They decorated table-top trees at Christmas and filled baskets at Easter.

Adam Ward, the cross country coach, said he tries to teach his team that consistency pays off. He said it's more than just "immediate personal gain." He said he believed the team gained more from the return trips then the initial one.

With most of the team returning, Ward said he looks forward to next season and sees the team making it to the Championships again.

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