saac provides a helping hand

SAAC PROVIDES A HELPING HAND During the holiday season, many people are often concerned with finding out what gifts to get for family members, how to get back home, and finding time to relax. The University of Toledo's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) wanted to find a way to give back to the community in an impactful way this holiday season. SAAC decided to organize groups of student-athletes from The University of Toledo to volunteer during The Boys and Girls Club of Toledo's Christmas Party. The Christmas Party took place on Dec. 11 and 12 at Imagination Station. The Christmas party gives kids from throughout the Toledo area an opportunity to have fun, meet kids from different Boys and Girls Clubs and to make sure the kids have a very special holiday season they may not normally have access to. Each day, about 600 kids attended the Christmas party for a total of 1,200 kids from around Toledo. SAAC provided 23 volunteers over two days, along with a set-up day on Dec. 9. Each day, the volunteers helped sort and organize donor gifts for the kids. Also during the event, these student-athletes would engage with the kids from around Toledo making sure they had fun and were safe during the party. The help was well received by staff at The Boys and Girls Club of Toledo and many donors and staff thanked the student-athletes for committing their time, especially during their exam week. This is not the first time SAAC has been involved with The Boys and Girls Club of Toledo as they have organized both men's cross country and men's baseball to volunteer at the Homer Hanham Club on Detroit Avenue. SAAC leadership expressed interest in continuing to build relationships with The Boys and Girls Club of Toledo to provide volunteer opportunities for the student-athletes and to provide assistance to an organization that has strong community values.