EUGENE, Ore. - On Thursday, September 19, one of Bushnell University's most important annual community service traditions continued with the 2024 Embrace the Community Day.
On this particular day, all Bushnell classes are canceled in the afternoon, giving every student, faculty, and staff member the opportunity to participate. Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff participated and over 25 different organizations were served. Every Beacon athletic team participated in the event at one or more of the various non-profit organizations, putting in a total of over 500 hours of community service.
ETC Day provides a signature moment for Bushnell Athletes to live out the mission of being holistic student-athletes who strive to be more than just athletes. Associate Athletic Director Sarah Freeman said, "Our athletic department holds high regard for our 'Tri-Athlete Model' which reflects our mission to develop the whole student-athlete during their time at Bushnell, equally focusing on athletics, academics and character, all in a Christ-centered manner. ETC Day is one opportunity for us to connect with and bless those who are continuously blessing the community and grow in service as champions of character."
The variety of opportunities is one of the things that make Bushnell's Embrace the Community program so meaningful, and for many teams, strong bonds are built and teams make plans to return to their site for more work in the future.
"Through the lens of wisdom, faith, and service, our goal is to connect our students with service opportunities and organizations that can turn into long standing relationships," said Freeman. "While ETC day is just one day we hope it inspires a spirit of service and community engagement that will be deeply rooted in our student-athletes and how we as Beacons live our lives."
This year's slate of team projects and community partnerships included:
VOLLEYBALL: The Hope Project
The volleyball team had an incredible experience working with The Hope Project. Founded by local pastor Ken Brown, a longtime friend and chaplain for Bushnell teams, The Hope Project is a local non-profit which works to raise money and donations of time and service to support multiple projects in Lane County. Some team members made baby blankets, some sorted through clothing donations, and others got to put together clothing gifts for kids in need, including families at the Ronald McDonald House.
Volleyball senior Bella Parque said, “Our work went straight towards kids in need and it really was a privilege to do this. Being able to help local kids and brighten their day is something truly worthwhile. We had fun and we were able to help out Pastor Ken, who is very helpful and an all-round fun and caring person. This work helped to give me a new perspective on life and I wanted to get as much work done in the few hours we had so I could ensure that every kid could get what they wanted. It was really eye opening to be behind the scenes of how the Hope Project operates and appreciate how much effort and planning goes into what they do.”
Junior Jessie Matthews added, “It was rewarding to witness how our teamwork could make a real difference, strengthening our connections and insipiring us to continue serving together in the future.”
MEN’S GOLF: Olive Plaza
The men’s golf team got to do some heavy lifting, assisting seniors as they moved back into their homes after moving out during some construction and renovation. They moved furniture, carried belongings and helped the residents get settled back into their newly renovated rooms.
Senior golfer Ben Lovrod said, “Moving is a big job and helping those who need it the most made the move go smoothly for the elderly residents. Plus, we were able to spend time meeting new people. Everyone has a story and getting a small glimpse of those stories is a pleasure. Helping others in need provides perspective for our own lives. We are blessed to have what we do and sharing our gifts with others is truly a wonderful thing.”
WOMEN’S GOLF: Oregon Community Programs
The women’s golf team worked with Oregon Community Programs, doing some sanitizing, cleaning, and organizing of their therapy rooms. They cleaned toys, organized supplies and games, and got in some good deep cleaning.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY: Everyone Village
Serving in a local homeless community, the men’s cross country team had the opportunity to build what is called a ‘Hoop House” over the garden, as well as doing some weatherproofing for the tiny homes in the village.
“The people we worked with were incredibly happy for our help,” said junior runner Sayer Pescosolido. “Everyone Village needs extra help with building and other aspects and the more work we put in, the easier it is on the people who run the organization. It is so important for us to think about those who don’t have homes and need assistance getting back on their feet. Our team was blessed to be a part of this growing community they are building. As a team with a lot of new guys this year, I couldn’t be happier to see the connection, selflessness, and passion for God that we were able to show. We want to go back because we know we can do even more for Jesus and the homeless community.”
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY: Brighter Side Giving Store
The women’s cross country team helped sort clothing at the Brighter Side Giving Store, run by Every Child Lane County. This boutique store experience gives children in foster care an opportunity to “shop” and assemble outfits that they like, feel comfortable in, and get to take home at no cost.
ESPORTS: Camp Harlow
The Esports team was at Camp Harlow, Eugene’s preeminent Christian summer camp, operated by First Baptist Church. There they helped with multiple projects sprucing up the campus and preparing things for the winter months.
Esports Senior Kyle Foss said, “We were able to save Camp Harlow both time and money helping with tedious tasks that are necessary for the longevity of equipment at the camp. It gives Harlow staff more time to dedicate to other important matters and it helps us to show the light of Christ in coming alongside our family and bearing their burdens. This was an opportunity from enriching conversations and bonding with our team, humbling ourselves and laboring for Christ together. This is a simple way for us to be a reflection of Jesus who served us with his whole life.”
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Luper Pioneer Cemetery
In one of the longest standing traditions of ETC Day, the men’s basketball team once again returned to the Luper Pioneer Cemetery to help with weeding and other beautification efforts. The Luper Pioneer cemetery is the final resting place for James Bushnell and his family.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL & BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Washburne Park
The women’s basketball and beach volleyball teams joined forces as they worked on some cleanup and maintenance at a local community park. The teams pulled weeds, trimmed blackberry bushes and picked up litter around the park.
Women’s basketball player Liv Tjoelker said, “It was rewarding to be able to help create and renew a clean, safe, and fun environment for families and locals to enjoy. Serving brings us closer together as a team and reminds us of the importance of gratitude. We reflected on the little things we forget to be thankful for and ways we can demonstrate intentional servanthood towards others. ETC day evoked a lot of positive emotions and we hope to lean into those throughout the year.”
BASEBALL – Grassroots Garden, CASA, Looking Glass, Thurston Baseball, Pleasant Hill Arboretum, Private Residence
With over 50 men on the roster, the baseball team was able to split up and serve three different organizations. The majority of the team served at FOOD For Lane County’s Grassroots Garden where they did some landscape renovation work and harvesting.
Some team members also served at both the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) offices and Looking Glass Station 7, where they did landscape work and bark spreading as well.
For the baseball team, ETC day extended into an Embrace the Community weekend as the team split into two groups for some additional service efforts. One group spent some time clearing weeds from the warning track at Thurston High School and also helped out at a private residence in Springfield. The work was done to help an elderly widow, getting some much-needed yardwork done.
The other group volunteered at the Pleasant Hill Arboretum at Pleasant Hill High School where they spread fresh bark for a new walking path throughout the grounds, performed cleanup of fallen and low hanging tree limbs, and trimmed overgrown bushes and shrubs.
Head Coach Jamie Womack said, A big thing we have been talking about on our team this year is being there for each other and trying to grow our sense of closeness and community within our own program. We wanted to extend that to the broader community as well, so our team created their own individual community service opportunities and performed them. We are very proud of our guys.”
SOFTBALL – Hendricks Park
The Softball team helped with trail clean up and beautification at Hendricks Park in Eugene.
TRACK & FIELD – Springfield Youth Gardens
The men’s and women’s track & field teams worked at the Springfield Youth Gardens doing general gardening work, including harvesting carrots.
MEN’S SOCCER – Grassroots Garden
Due to their home game on Thursday against Corban, the Bushnell men’s soccer team was unable to serve on Embrace the Community Day, but instead gathered on Friday afternoon to serve at the FOOD For Lane County Grassroots Garden. Building off the work done by the baseball team on Thursday, the Beacons did some additional landscaping and harvesting of crops.
In addition, the women’s soccer team, who was also unable to serve on ETC Day due to their home game with Corban, has organized a project in the near future with University Fellowship Church, helping serve at a few homes that the church uses to house Ukrainian refugees.