SDSU Student-Athletes Lend a Hand
They have helped thousands of homeless people in need across five states.
In an effort to help give back to the community and positively impact the environment, more than 100 San Diego State University student-athletes participated in a recent community service event offering clothing, food and reusable water bottles to San Diegans in need.
The students involved were part of the Aztecs Going Pro program, a learning community providing each student with personal and professional growth support as well as civic engagement opportunities.
The 111 first-year student-athletes handwrote motivational quotes, stuffed eco-friendly water bottles with snacks and handed out clothing and footwear. The items were collected by hundreds of SDSU student-athletes, work led by the SDSU Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).
SAAC President Quentin Hill, a member of the men’s golf team, spearheaded the event and planned the department-wide community service project along with Danielle Kelly, SDSU’s student-athlete development coordinator.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the student-athletes wanted to create something to help the rising number of homeless people while also positively affecting the environment, according to Hill. They worked together to stuff reusable BPA-free water bottles with snacks and hygiene products. “We have been lucky to partner with several corporations such as One Bar, Promo Direct, Mitchell and Ness, and Vetter Dentistry, who help provide the bottles and items paired with each bottle,” Hill said.
They have already reached 5,000 homeless people in four states with their efforts, he said, and look forward to “helping those in need in any way possible in the coming years.”
“I am very proud of our freshmen student-athletes who began their Aztecs Going Pro civic engagement journey by working together to positively impact [homeless people] in San Diego,” Kelly said. “We are lucky to have such a strong SAAC president and leader in Quentin Hill. He not only shared his civic engagement journey with the student-athletes, but he also made this whole event possible and a complete success by involving the entire student-athlete community.”
Aztecs Going Pro is a learning community that provides each student with a comprehensive, four-year student-athlete development program centered around three foundational pillars: personal growth, career development, and civic engagement. Student-athletes will receive yearly innovative programming, one-on-one coaching, and unique experiential learning opportunities that will help them create and prepare for their post-graduate plans and build a strong network of connections available through the SDSU community.
