SAU softball team volunteers their Spring Break weekend

Beginning Friday, March 2, and continuing through the following week of Spring Break, the Spring Arbor University women’s softball team played six double headers over the course of seven days, all in sunny Clermont, Florida. This jam-packed slate of games has become something of a tradition in recent years, as has the team’s volunteer work at Give Kids the World (GKTW), a non-profit organization and resort that provides no-charge vacations to families of children with life-threatening illnesses.

“This is our sixth or seventh time doing it,” says head coach Deb Thompson. In the past, players have delivered pizzas to families on the property, overseen outdoor activities and painted faces and nails. This year, players volunteered their time in the resort cafeteria, providing families with table service, carrying food, cleaning trays and tidying booths and tables. “The team had so many compliments. People came up to me and remarked how kind and friendly our girls were!”

Thompson continues, saying, “Every year they love it and want to go back. It’s a great experience for them, and a great experience for me. We sometimes forget how blessed we are — going to college, playing a game we love, serving a God of love. Their encounters with these kids and families really remind them how blessed we are. It changes them. It’s awesome that we get these opportunities, and through service get more out than we put in.”