SLIAC Comes Together For Hurricane Relief
Several schools from across the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference came together and joined the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Over the last two weeks schools including Fontbonne University, Greenville University, Iowa Wesleyan University, MacMurray College, Spalding University, and Webster University held clothing and food drives on their campuses to send to Houston, Texas and the surrounding communities.
First-year Fontbonne University softball head coach Casey Cromwell had a personal connection to the relief efforts. Cromwell is a graduate of Lamar University, located in Beaumont, Texas; one of the hardest hit areas in Texas. Cromwell, along with Fontbonne SAAC members, collected eight boxes to be delivered directly to Lamar University and its community.
"In my first months as head coach for Fontbonne softball and leading the SAAC group here on campus, I have been overwhelmed with the amount of support this university has for the dear neighbor, said Cromwell. "I am proud of our SAAC representatives for gathering 8 boxes of supplies to help victims of Hurricane Harvey and am thankful for the other SAAC groups in the SLIAC who also sent out supplies on behalf of this supportive conference. A little from everyone makes a HUGE difference."
In addition to collecting boxes of clothes and supplies, MacMurray College also raised over $1,000 to donate to relief efforts.
"The turnout from the MacMurray community was amazing," said MacMurray senior and SAAC leader CJ Pakeltis. "It is comforting to know that when something devastating happens we can all come together to help those in need."
Greenville, Spalding, and Webster collected t-shirts and shoes as part of the effort by the University of Houston Men's Basketball Head Coach Kelvin Sampson. Webster women's basketball head coach Jordan Olufson said, "I think it's a great effort that Coach Sampson has put together and we are proud to be able to help out the community of Houston in its troubled time."
Travis Gile, SLIAC SAAC President, said Iowa Wesleyan was able to partner with Mount Plesant High School and collect items to send to Texas.
"I think it is inspiring to see the conference do what it can to help those that are going through such tragedy and loss, said Gile. "At Iowa Wesleyan, in conjunction with Mt. Pleasant High School, 600 lbs of new or gently used shoes were sent along and answered the call from Kelvin Sampson from the University of Houston."
You can still assist in the efforts by sending packages with toiletries, clothing, baby items, or gift cards to:
Lamar University Softball
ATTN: Holly Bruder
211 Redbird Lane
Beaumont, TX 77710
You can also donate t-shirts or shoes to help Kelvin Sampson's cause by shipping packages to:
Kelvin Sampson
University of Houston Basketball
Guy V Lewis Development Center
3480 Cullen Blvd.
Houston, TX 77204
