Athletes Help Meredith Sustain "Tide of Hope"
By Kelly Jones, '05
Meredith's Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) aims to raise money to aid in the relief efforts for victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami.
Athletic Director Jackie Myers and seniors Allison Drake and Ashley Ellis, who are serving as co-chairs, organized the SAAC effort.
Their goal is for Meredith's five Division III athletic teams to raise at least $100 each. The Meredith Aqua Angels will also be participating in this relief effort.
The SAAC will donate money raised to Meredith's "Tide of Hope" effort, which is supporting Save the Children. Save the Children is an international, four-star charity founded in 1932. Save the Children is dedicated to helping some of this disaster's most innocent and powerless victims, currently aiming to help children and families in Indonesia and the coastal areas of India and Sri Lanka. Among Save the Children's top priorities are to provide shelter and other protection services, reuniting children with family members and organizing activities to help restore a sense of normalcy.
The SAAC deadline is Friday, Feb. 18.
"The response from the athletic teams has been very positive," Drake says. "Everyone really wants to help out as much as they can."
Meredith's softball team has also decided to donate all of the profits from selling concessions at basketball games.
"Meredith athletes (aim to be) very well-rounded, by being a student first, then an athlete, as well as taking time to contribute to the community and other well-known organizations such as this one," said Ellis.
