Last week the UMD men’s lacrosse team traded their sticks for hammers as they volunteered to build a deck for a complete stranger. Joining together with Habitat for Humanity, the team raised money to build a handicap accessible deck for a woman in Grand Lakes Township, whose home of 19 years was no longer easily accessible to her.
“We wanted to give back to the community because they give so much to us, financially and with support at our games,” said lacrosse team president Bryan Schmitz. “It’s always good to give back.”
This is the second year that the group has volunteered. This year, however, they decided to take on a bigger project.
“We’re a big team,” Schmitz said. “We wanted to take on a big project like this because we could handle it. With 44 guys you can get a lot done.”
By reaching out to the community, the team was able to raise $1,000 to buy supplies needed for the project.
Daryl Yankee, executive director at the Western Superior office for Habitat for Humanity, said that the lacrosse team is one of five UMD organizations that help out.
“UMD lacrosse is leading the way for student athletic involvement,” said Yankee. “We really appreciate help we get, especially from students like at UMD.”
Volunteering for Habitat for Humanity was a rewarding experience for the guys as individuals and as a team, said team captain Kevin Soderholm.
“As a group it was fun to collectively work on a project and see the immediate impact of our time and effort,” he said. “As individuals, we were able to personally give back to the community by helping someone in a time of need.”
BY: ANNE KUNKEL CHRISTIANSON kunke063@d.umn.edu