CHARLOTTE, N.C.- The Queens University of Charlotte women's soccer team found time during their busy fall schedule this year to volunteer participating in five different community service activities.
“We definitely support the university's motto which is "Non Ministrare, Sed Ministrare", or "To Serve, Not To Be Served,”” said Head Coach Katie Talbert. “We want the girls to learn the importance of giving back to the community.”
Early in the fall, the team traveled to a brand new Habitat Restore that just opened in the area. A ReStore is a store that accepts donations of new and gently used items from individuals and businesses in the community, and sells those items to the public at a reduced cost, usually 50-70 percent of the original retail value. All proceeds go toward building Habitat homes with the local Habitat affiliate.
The Royals were in charge of helping to clean the new warehouse. They were also given the task of sorting donations that were brought in, and getting them prepared for the sales floor.
Next the Royals volunteered at the Tyler's Treehouse 5k which took place in early September. Tyler's Treehouse was created for Tyler Scott, a victim of brainstem glioma, and is dedicated to supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with the search for the cause and eventual cure of brainstem glioma. All of the proceeds from the 5k went towards searching for the cure.
This was the second year Queens had volunteered at this event. The Royals spent their morning helping with race day activities providing support wherever it was needed.
Queens also helped at The Cornwell Center's Fall Family Festival in early September. The event consisted of a 1k fun run, a 5k race, and the festival activities. The proceeds were donated to the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. The women's soccer team has been a staple at this event over the years interacting with the runners, reaching out to the community, and promoting Queens University of Charlotte Athletics.
Later on in the month of September, the women's soccer team helped out at Big Shots Saturdays and Kids HealthLink. Big Shots Saturdays is an event that provides immunizations to children on four weekends out of the year while Kids HealthLink is a festival open to the entire public featuring vision, hearing and dental assessments, education topics for children, entertainment and giveaways. Kids HealthLink takes place at two of the Big Shots Saturdays events. The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools partnered to sponsor both events.
The Royals were provided the opportunity to help with body mass conversions. They were also able to help with dental assessments and making sure that the children received the correct immunizations in order to go to school.
To wrap up the fall season, the Royals headed down the road to the Levine Children's Hospital for their annual Halloween event. This was the second year that Queens took part in the event helping in activity booths and playing with the children. The Royals provided a huge service to the young children who weren't able to leave the hospital to go trick-or-treating.
