MSU Student-Athletes Brighten Christmas Season
12/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | General
Christmas Day will be a little more joyful for several Gallatin Valley children this week courtesy of Montana State University's student-athletes.
Bobcat varsity athletes representing each of the school's intercollegiate squads donated over $1,100 worth of toys, through the Athletic Department's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), to Toys for Tots. The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve distributed the toys this week to families and children throughout the Bozeman area.
"This is an outstanding project by a group of student-athletes that we're very proud of," said MSU Athletic Director Peter Fields. "The neat thing is that this was their project. The student-athletes came up with the idea, raised the money, purchased the toys, and coordinated the project with very limited help from outside."
The project began before Thanksgiving, and culminated with the turnover of toys to the Marines in mid-December. In between, SAAC members purchased hundreds of toys at Bozeman's Toy Co., which also contributed to the project.
"It's fun to know that us buying simple toys can help make Christmas happy for so many kids," said MSU women's basketball player Briana Fields, President of the SAAC. "It seemed like we could walk up and down the aisles and pick out whatever we thought kids would like. It definitely made us happier to buy gifts for those little kids than to receive presents."
MSU Athletic Department employees also participated in a program to brighten the Christmas season for some members of the Bozeman community. Bobcat Athletics officials donated over $1,200 to the Hearts and Homes program, providing Holiday gifts and necessities for a pair of Bozeman area families.
According to Fields, both projects were as beneficial to the athletic department as to the recipients. "This really gives us a sense of perspective and a sense of how fortunate we are to be able to help others."
Bobcat varsity athletes representing each of the school's intercollegiate squads donated over $1,100 worth of toys, through the Athletic Department's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), to Toys for Tots. The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve distributed the toys this week to families and children throughout the Bozeman area.
"This is an outstanding project by a group of student-athletes that we're very proud of," said MSU Athletic Director Peter Fields. "The neat thing is that this was their project. The student-athletes came up with the idea, raised the money, purchased the toys, and coordinated the project with very limited help from outside."
The project began before Thanksgiving, and culminated with the turnover of toys to the Marines in mid-December. In between, SAAC members purchased hundreds of toys at Bozeman's Toy Co., which also contributed to the project.
"It's fun to know that us buying simple toys can help make Christmas happy for so many kids," said MSU women's basketball player Briana Fields, President of the SAAC. "It seemed like we could walk up and down the aisles and pick out whatever we thought kids would like. It definitely made us happier to buy gifts for those little kids than to receive presents."
MSU Athletic Department employees also participated in a program to brighten the Christmas season for some members of the Bozeman community. Bobcat Athletics officials donated over $1,200 to the Hearts and Homes program, providing Holiday gifts and necessities for a pair of Bozeman area families.
According to Fields, both projects were as beneficial to the athletic department as to the recipients. "This really gives us a sense of perspective and a sense of how fortunate we are to be able to help others."
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