Miami student-athletes clear the way in MetroParks service project
RedHawks volunteer to remove honeysuckle from Mill Race Preserve Area trails
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Published
Miami University student-athletes help clear honeysuckle from the hiking trails at Mill Race Preserve Area. (Jeff Sabo photo)
Miami student-athletes clear the way in MetroParks service project
•
Published
Many of the volunteer hours performed by Miami University’s student-athletes are done indoors.
On Wednesday, 40-50 of those intercollegiate athletics participants had the chance to serve their community in a fresh-air setting.
Members of Miami’s men’s basketball, synchronized skating, football, men’s swimming and diving, and ice hockey teams worked to clear the Mill Race Preserve Area trails of honeysuckle. Under the supervision of the MetroParks of Butler County, the RedHawks cut and removed honeysuckle for four hours, split into two shifts, from the hiking trails near the Black Covered Bridge on Corso Road just north of Oxford.
“I just love working outside,” said Katelyn Runkle, a first-year Kinesiology major from Hillsborough, North Carolina, and member of Miami’s synchronized skating team. “I did a lot of work outside at home in North Carolina. It’s a pretty small town, but I was really involved with FFA (Future Farmers of America) all through high school.”
Trafton Eutsler oversees corporate and community partnerships for Miami Athletics. The RedHawks do thousands of service hours each year, and Eutsler said it’s important to look for unique volunteer opportunities.
“We strive to be one of the top programs in terms of volunteer and service hours,” Eutsler said. “When we can do something in our backyards, in Oxford or Butler County, that is really important to us.”
Other service projects for Miami this year include visiting local schools, participating in toy drives, gift wrapping, and volunteering at local children’s hospitals.
Runkle recently volunteered at a nearby elementary school, helping to run stations at recess for students in grades K-5.
“We are all far from where we live, and it’s nice to be able to give back to this community,” Runkle said. “While we are here temporarily, it is our home for these four years. It is definitely valuable to give back in any way that we can.”
That was a sentiment shared by Hampton Dauparas, a sophomore from Long Beach, Indiana, and member of the men’s basketball team who is studying Sport Leadership and Management.
“It’s really important to get out in the community, do service off the court, and build that connection,” Dauparas said. “It’s always good to help out when you can.”
There can also be friendly competition among Miami’s athletic programs.
“It’s fun,” Eutsler said, noting they recently shared the number of volunteer hours to date with each team. “There are a lot of bragging rights.
“MetroParks is a great partner of Miami athletics and supports what we do. We wanted to be able to help and support them with a project right here in our backyard.”
On Wednesday, 40-50 of those intercollegiate athletics participants had the chance to serve their community in a fresh-air setting.
Members of Miami’s men’s basketball, synchronized skating, football, men’s swimming and diving, and ice hockey teams worked to clear the Mill Race Preserve Area trails of honeysuckle. Under the supervision of the MetroParks of Butler County, the RedHawks cut and removed honeysuckle for four hours, split into two shifts, from the hiking trails near the Black Covered Bridge on Corso Road just north of Oxford.
“I just love working outside,” said Katelyn Runkle, a first-year Kinesiology major from Hillsborough, North Carolina, and member of Miami’s synchronized skating team. “I did a lot of work outside at home in North Carolina. It’s a pretty small town, but I was really involved with FFA (Future Farmers of America) all through high school.”
Trafton Eutsler oversees corporate and community partnerships for Miami Athletics. The RedHawks do thousands of service hours each year, and Eutsler said it’s important to look for unique volunteer opportunities.
“We strive to be one of the top programs in terms of volunteer and service hours,” Eutsler said. “When we can do something in our backyards, in Oxford or Butler County, that is really important to us.”
Other service projects for Miami this year include visiting local schools, participating in toy drives, gift wrapping, and volunteering at local children’s hospitals.
Runkle recently volunteered at a nearby elementary school, helping to run stations at recess for students in grades K-5.
“We are all far from where we live, and it’s nice to be able to give back to this community,” Runkle said. “While we are here temporarily, it is our home for these four years. It is definitely valuable to give back in any way that we can.”
That was a sentiment shared by Hampton Dauparas, a sophomore from Long Beach, Indiana, and member of the men’s basketball team who is studying Sport Leadership and Management.
“It’s really important to get out in the community, do service off the court, and build that connection,” Dauparas said. “It’s always good to help out when you can.”
There can also be friendly competition among Miami’s athletic programs.
“It’s fun,” Eutsler said, noting they recently shared the number of volunteer hours to date with each team. “There are a lot of bragging rights.
“MetroParks is a great partner of Miami athletics and supports what we do. We wanted to be able to help and support them with a project right here in our backyard.”
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg.
