local children during Serve Day
With the arrival of the fall semester at Bushnell University, and a new athletic and academic year, the Beacon Athletic department has set the tone for a strong Tri-Athlete focus in 2024-2025 with multiple endeavors related to community service and character to start the year.
onto campus during New Student Orientation
Sarah Freeman, Bushnell’s Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Leader said, “Our Fall Kick-Off service efforts, for our new and returning student-athletes, allow Bushnell Athletics to start the year with our focus in the right place. We take this time just one day before school starts to fellowship with one another and serve together. This is just a catalyst for the rest of the year and helps set the tone for the importance we place on service and relationship building. Our athletes have bought into our tri-athlete model and are true examples of champions of character. I am so proud of our student-athletes and this day always brings a smile to my face. This is what it means to be a Beacon.”
FALL MOVE IN/ORIENTATION
New-Student Orientation and Fall Move-In day took place last week and Bushnell athletes were heavily involved in the process on multiple fronts. Having already been on campus for a few weeks, fall-sport returning student-athletes did the heavy lifting, quite literally, as they helped out teammates and non-teammates alike with the move-in process to campus living. In addition, Bushnell’s Orientation Team of students featured a wide variety of student-athletes on the staff, helping make the transition to college a successful one for new Beacons.
belongings into their dorm rooms on move-in day
PROJECT HOPE
With Service playing a major part in the life of all Beacons, Orientation Week once again featured an afternoon of dedicated service as all new students (freshmen and transfers) participated in Get Your Serve On, including all new student-athletes. The culmination of Orientation weekend, students were sent to multiple locations around Eugene and Springfield to assist with Project Hope, an annual event which distributes, backpacks, school supplies, shoes and more to those in need in the community.
Junior cross country and track athlete Sayer Pescosolido was the 2024 Orientation Coordinator for Bushnell, and helped facilitate Get Your Serve On. He said, “Being able to serve is always a great opportunity for our student-athletes to connect with the community around them. What made Project Hope a success was the joy we gave families and being a part of something bigger then ourselves. Everyone put their athletics behind and showed up to give people a taste of God’s love.”
CANNED FOOD DRIVE
While the newcomers were busy participating at Project Hope, all Beacon returning student-athletes also gathered for the annual Bushnell Athletics Fall Service Day on Sunday. It was another incredibly successful “reverse shopping” canned food drive as teams set out across multiple neighborhoods in Eugene with shopping carts in hand, going door-to-door to collect canned food, dry goods, toilet paper, and paper towels. The teams were able to once again break their all-time record as they brought in over 1700 pounds of food. A traditional food drive to benefit FOOD for Lane County, this year’s collection will also go to help open a brand new Bushnell Food Pantry, located in Womack Hall for the benefit of students in need.
helping load canned goods and other supplies during Serve Day
Athletic Director Corey Anderson said, “What a great way for us to start out the academic year with our returning student-athletes! To help serve our community is always an awesome exercise of giving and service for our student-athletes to participate in. It is always rewarding to deliver such a huge amount of food to FOOD for Lane County and they are always shocked with the amount that we collect in just a few hours time. Sarah and I get to hear the stories of how important it is for them to receive our donation, because it is a slower time of year for their collections. They are always very appreciative, knowing that this will have a huge impact for the individuals and families that they serve.”
For the Bushnell athletic department, performing community service is more than just a way to “check a box” as part of the NAIA Champions of Character initiative. Instead, being a champion of character is a core component of the Beacons mission to develop student-athletes as “Tri-Athletes” giving equal focus to their endeavors on the court, in the classroom, and through service, with all parts centered around Christ.
Last year, Bushnell student-athletes, coaches, and staff served over 5600 hours including team community service projects, missions trips, and internships with non-profit organizations. For the first time in history, Bushnell athletes averaged over 20 hours of service per student-athlete, which remains an annual goal for the department.
Associate Athletic Director Sarah Freeman said, “I am proud of the hard work our student-athletes have already put in to make a difference for individuals dealing with food insecurity, families preparing to send their children back to school with proper resources, helping move in new Beacons, and orientating new students to Bushnell. Our student-athletes and staff have shown what it means to live lives of service and we’re excited to continue to make a difference in our community and around the world throughout the year.”
MOVING FORWARD
The next “milestone” event will be in mid-September as the Beacons participate in Bushnell’s Embrace the City Day. During this event each fall, classes are canceled and all students serve at locations throughout Eugene and Springfield. Student-Athletes serve with their teams and any many cases the relationships that they build in the community lead to more opportunities for service in the future.