DANVILLE, Va.(AverettCougars.com) — This fall while Averett University student-athletes were working hard in their venue of play and in the classroom, they were also making a positive impact on the Danville community by going out and volunteering in the area to give back.

In total, Averett student-athletes have spent more than 623 hours this semester volunteering, which is equivalent of over 25 days spent out in the community while making a positive impact on the lives around them in the Danville region.

“Carrying on the tradition of giving back to our community continues to be a big emphasis in Averett athletics and the ‘One Team’ vision,” said Meg Stevens, vice president of athletics and campus operations. “I am expertly proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff for always being more than willing to give back to the Danville community.”

Averett’s student-athletes were active throughout the semester across the region volunteering, from helping bathe, feed and walk animals at the Danville Humane Society to helping pack over 20,000 meals at Averett’s Harvest Pack.

Student-athletes also participated in the university’s Center for Community Engagement and Career Competitiveness (CCECC) annual Day to Engage, where student-athletes spent time at Head Start in Danville reading to students, painting railings and being a lunch buddy to children in the program. Averett student-athletes also volunteered at First Presbyterian Church of Danville, Children’s House Daycare, Families First Daycare and the Super 32 high school wrestling tournament.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) participated in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s first-ever food drive competition, an initiative that Averett was instrumental in bringing to the ODAC from its time in the USA South Conference — a competition that Averett won six consecutive times. This year the Cougars collected 4,017 food items to donate to God’s Storehouse of Danville. Averett’s baseball team brought in the most items out of all of Averett’s 24 teams with 1,152 items.