- Scoring touchdowns and hitting home runs might be the types of things typically associated with being a Division I student-athlete, but at NIU, student-athletes are also extremely active within the DeKalb, Sycamore and surrounding communities.
During the most recent school year, Huskie student-athletes participated in nearly 3,700 community service hours, averaging 8.7 hours per student. The year-end total was 500 hours more than the previous year and resulted in a 34 percent increase in student-athletes participating in community service projects.
There are numerous organizations and projects in which Huskie student-athletes volunteer their time, including the DeKalb Corn Classic, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Sole4Souls, Habitat for Humanity, the Barb City Foot Mart, Operation Christmas Child, mentoring programs with local schools and many more.
Among the highlights of their efforts: the canned food drive organized by Huskie student-athletes last year collected more than 350 pounds of food that was donated to the Barb City Food Mart and the Huskie Food Pantry, while the toiletry drive collected more than 500 items. During the Soles4Souls shoe drive, nearly 100 pairs of shoes were collected and donated as NIU’s student-athletes continue to strive to make a difference in their local community.
“It’s important that our student-athletes give back to the community that gives so much to them,” said NIU Senior Associate Athletics Director and Director of Student-Athlete Academic Support Services (SAASS) Randi Napientek, ’05, M.S. ’07, Ed.D. ’17. “These are the groups that come and see them play, that are part of the community where they are a student, and it is important to be a part of that community and to learn about civic engagement.
“When we talk about student-athletes being champions in the classroom and in life, this is part of that, giving back to organizations and being a good steward of your community.”
In addition to the 3,700 community service hours performed by Huskie student-athletes, athletic department coaches, administrators and staff participated in 1,200 community service hours during the most recent school year, the highest mark recorded in department history.
“The thing I love the most is that this isn’t a requirement of our student-athletes or staff,” said Napientek. “That is something I have always been really proud of; they keep continuing to increase the hours that they are giving back, but it isn’t something that we mandate.
“Watching our student-athletes put that energy and effort into community programs is extremely rewarding.”