RAVENS FLY SOUTH FOR CONFERENCE PROJECT

WILMINGTON, Del. – On Tuesday, June 8^th, junior field hockey player Ashley Conti (Little Falls, N.J./Passaic Valley), sophomore field hockey player Elizabeth Goodwin (Blandon/), junior softball player Marissa Meyers (Philadelphia/Northeast) and Assistant Athletic Director Danielle Maye joined 13 other student-athletes and staff from other Colonial States Athletic Conference institutions in Wilmington, Delaware. The group was gearing up for the annual conference service project with Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization specializing in building homes for needy families.

The student-athletes and staff members spent the week in New Castle County building homes and helping with Habitat’s annual Bike to Build Fundraiser. “This is my second year attending the trip,” said Goodwin. “I went again not only because I got to build houses for under privileged families but also because I love the energy our conference has and the impact and happiness we bring to the site.”

Throughout the week, the group worked tirelessly on homes doing such tasks as roofing, painting and siding. “The work load for my group was pretty difficult,” Meyers said.  “We had a very physical job. We helped manually hammer shingles into the roof. It was tough being on the roof for hours at a time, but definitely worth the effort.”

“It was quite challenging sometimes, but a great team building experience,” added Maye.

“We were constantly learning and working together to figure out how we could accomplish a certain task. The mentor I worked primarily with was great. He gave us a basic idea of what we needed to accomplish and then let us figure it out together. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you work together.”

The trip was also a chance for the student-athletes to come together not as competitors but as teammates with a single goal of helping a great cause.

“I learned a lot about building and renovation I didn’t know how to do, like roofing and siding among other things,” said Conti. “I also learned that these houses are not given away for free; the home owners have to put in sweat equity as well. I learned a lot about my fellow CSAC student-athletes and have come to appreciate them for more than just a competitor on the field.”