EMORY, Va. - The Emory & Henry College Softball Team wanted to have a positive impact in Southwest Virginia this summer and give back to the community that showed them great support during the 2014 season. Head Coach Tommy Forrester and Mary Beth Tignor, the College's Coordinator of Campus Service Programs, teamed up to organize "E&H Softball Service Week."

Eleven team members gathered on campus from June 9 through June 11 to serve in the community. During the week, the team volunteered their time with seven different community organizations and worked side by side with young and old members of the community.

Forrester commented, "Service week was a great thing for our team for so many reasons. I feel that we were really able to make a difference in the community and form a closer bond as a team. Playing intercollegiate sports goes much deeper than practices and games. It feels good to help other people and our players experienced that this week."

The week started off with some tough manual labor in Abingdon as players worked outdoors with Habitat for Humanity. That evening, the team went to Glade Spring and put on a Little League softball clinic for 30 local aspiring softball players.

On Tuesday, the Wasps were back at it as they completed projects at Feeding America and the New Life Thrift Shop in Abingdon. At Feeding America, players sorted through boxes of food that would be distributed to local food pantries and also cooked a meal for people in need. At the New Life Thrift Shop, players helped clean and prepare the store for weekend shoppers.

One of the more unique projects of the week took place across two days. As a part of Greendale Elementary School's renovation of an outdoor classroom, there were some plants available to the community. The team dug up the plants at the school on Tuesday evening and replanted them at the Abingdon Senior Center Rain Garden on Wednesday morning. Seven students from Greendale joined the Emory & Henry students at the senior center to aid in the replanting, creating a connection of three generations.

The week's final project was at the William King Museum, where players helped the staff prepare classrooms for their Summer Art Camps.

Senior pitcher and designated player Roxanne Hillman had this to say, "I loved being a part of service week because it allowed us to be a part of the community. It was a great eye opener and reminded me just how blessed and fortunate we really are." Sophomore utility player Holly Eckard added, "It was a great opportunity to return to campus, come together as a team, and become more familiar with our community. I had an awesome time and it was a great lesson that helped shape the way I continued my summer."

In addition to helping the local community, the Emory & Henry Softball coaching staff also offered their time and talents to people in the Czech Republic. In late June, Forrester and Assistant Softball Coach Jenae Morrissey traveled to the town of Protivín, Czech Republic to conduct a week long softball camp that also included Bible and English lessons. The trip was sponsored by the Johnson City District of the United Methodist Church's Holston Conference. The Church has targeted the Czech Republic for these types of camps due to the country's high rate of agnosticism and atheism. This was Forrester's sixth trip to the Czech Republic to run such a camp.

"I love being able to share softball and God's love in the Czech Republic," Forrester noted. "It's a passion of mine, and to get to take along my coaches and some former players makes the experience that much more enjoyable. To say I am blessed would be an understatement."

"This was my first mission trip and my first trip out of the U.S., so needless to say I was a little nervous. But the nerves quickly disappeared once we landed," Morrissey commented. "It was amazing to wake up in a different country for a week and not only teach the game I love, but teach about my God that I love as well. The most rewarding experience is how much the kids have stayed in contact with me since we have been back in the United States."

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