SAN DIEGO – As part of the Aztecs Going Pro program, 111 SDSU freshmen student-athletes started off their Civic Engagement unit by taking part in a community service event this past week to help the homeless in the San Diego area.
The student-athletes hand-wrote motivational quotes, stuffed eco-friendly water bottles with donated snacks and attached donated clothing and footwear that were collected by 470 SDSU student-athletes over the last two weeks led by the SDSU Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).
SDSU SAAC President Quentin Hill (men's golf) 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, we wanted to create something to help the rising number of homeless while also positively affecting the environment," Quentin Hill explained. "We stuffed a reusable BPA-free water bottle with snacks and hygiene products on the inside. 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. To this point, we have been able to reach 5,000 homeless in four states 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 the homeless 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.
Aztec Freshmen Help Homeless
