Villanova University

Aug. 25, 2008

VILLANOVA, Pa. - While the start of fall semester classes at Villanova University today marked the beginning of a new academic year, it seemed an appropriate time to take a look back at what the Wildcat student-athletes were up to over the summer. In particular, a student-athlete community service trip in May provides an example of the positive community contributions being made by Villanova student-athletes throughout the entire year.

Following the conclusion of final exams in May, a group of 17 student-athletes and three staff members took part in an extended community service trip to Charleston, South Carolina. During the trip the group spent an entire week working with the Habitat for Humanity organization and helped in the construction of a house for a family. The group from Villanova included student-athletes from several different sports in addition to senior associate athletics director Lynn Tighe, associate athletic director Rev. Robert Hagan, O.S.A., and rowing head coach Jack St. Clair.

"Experiences like this one can only help build the character of our student-athletes and give them a sense of responsibility in giving back to the community," Tighe said. Anything we can do to build stronger leadership among our student-athletes is appealing to us."

Villanova student-athletes are involved in numerous community service projects each year but their sport responsibilities make it difficult to take part in an extended trip such as this one.

"Most of Villanova's extended community service trips take place during breaks in the academic calendar when sports are in session," Tighe said. "We had talked for a while about leading a trip when most athletes are free and the timing that made the most sense was right after finals."

When the group arrived in South Carolina at the start of the week, the house had walls up but there was no roof. Over the course of the week some of the student-athletes lifted trusses off the ground and passed them up to the roof while others nailed the trusses into place. There were 20 trusses that lined the house and once in place, wood sheeting had to be put on top of them and connected over the entire roof. The group also laid down shingles on the roof and performed numerous odd jobs around the perimeter of the house. Extra measures were put in place to strengthen the house because it is being built in a hurricane zone.

"Because we worked with student-athletes from different teams, I have a better sense of not just representing my team but the whole University. The experience in that environment made me feel like part of a bigger family." Women's soccer player Erin Hardiman

"The experience of a trip like this gives you a great appreciation for what you have, whether in your personal life or here on campus," Tighe said. "Each of us felt that we reached out and helped someone. In particular we met the family the house is being built for and worked side by side with them."

There were several factors that made Charleston an appealing site for this particular trip. One of those factors was related specifically to the progress being made on the house, which was in the process of being framed. This stage of building the house lends itself to seeing the most visible results of the group's work.

"People who have done trips with Habitat for Humanity in the past have said that working on some of the smaller details of the house doesn't allow as much of a chance to see the fruits of your labor," Tighe explained. "We took that advice and chose a site with that in mind. The framing of the house in Charleston had started on May 3 and we were there a week later."

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Among the 17 student-athletes that took part in the trip were women's soccer players Erin Hardiman and Laura Sylvester. The pair, senior captains for the Wildcats this season, reflected on the experience of taking part in a week-long service trip.

"It was a great experience to be able to work together and do something good for this family but the trip also helped to build the sense of community among all of us from Villanova," Hardiman said. "Because we worked with student-athletes from different teams, I have a better sense of not just representing my team but the whole University. The experience in that environment made me feel like part of a bigger family."

The experience of bringing together student-athletes from several different sports was among the highlights of the trip for both Hardiman and Sylvester.

"It was a unique experience for us to be in a group setting that wasn't just our own team," Sylvester said. "We do a lot with the soccer team but this was a much broader experience that brought us all together. Working with other student-athletes in general I felt that we all got along and understood each other better because of this trip."

The group stayed in Charleston for a week and was provided with housing by a local church. During the week they worked a regular five-day work week with the exception of having one day off to tour the Charleston area.

"The trips last for a week and the group is given a day off to tour around the area. We tried to go somewhere that would be a destination sight with some sightseeing opportunities for the student-athletes as well," Tighe said. "There are some rural areas we could have gone but Charleston provided a really good opportunity to be involved with Habitat for Humanity and also be somewhere where we could do some tourist things too."

Villanova student-athletes and staff pose for a photo during a community service trip to Charleston, South Carolina.

The University's campus ministry has led trips associated with Habitat for Humanity in the past but this was the first that involved all student-athletes. The trip was a huge success and created lasting memories for each of the participants.

"Each of us that took part in the trip had a great time and felt that we did a lot of good," Tighe said. "We worked very hard and were physically exhausted at the end of each day but at the same time it was a very fun experience."

"I hope that trips such as this one will continue to provide opportunities to bring all the teams together," Sylvester added. "All of us now have friends on other teams that normally we wouldn't have gotten to know. It was beneficial to have the trip last a whole week and not just for one day."

Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need. Habitat has built more than 250,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1 million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter.

"The Habitat for Humanity mission is very connected with what the University looks for in community service projects," Tighe said. "We looked for the opportunity to have a longer experience with a group and I think the results of that were noticeable. I saw that 17 student-athletes representing six different teams created a little bond amongst themselves and that is something I think can translate back to campus as well."