Sept. 17, 2013
For Immediate Release

Cheerleaders, from left,  Amanda Alsbrooks, a sophomore from Corbin, Ky., and Shelly Dewar, a sophomore from Burlington, Ky., were part of 400 student/athletes who helped clean up Green River Lake Sept. 14. (Campbellsville University Photo by Courtney Drury)

By Jordan Antle, student news writer

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Campbellsville University and the CU Athletic Department are very familiar with community service projects. Every year, there are three to four events each team will donate its time and money toin order to assist people in the community and even children across the world.

On Saturday, Sept. 14, every CU team that did not have a scheduled game spent its Saturday morning and part of the afternoon partnering with the US Army Corps of Engineers, on the banks of Green River State Parkfor the 27th Annual Volunteer Lakeshore Cleanup.

This volunteer event asks community members to spend four to five hours picking up trash to keep our lake and trails clean.

“I want to thank all CU teams for their support,” Jim Hardy, assistant director of athletics, said. “Because our teams volunteered their time, this was the largest Lakeshore Cleanup in the past 10 years.”

And the largest it was. More than 400 Campbellsville athletes, coaches and various community members were in attendance for the event in 2013; which doubled last years' turnout. According to Andrea O'Bryanfrom the Corps of Engineers, the Corps had trouble finding places to clean up because there were so many people who volunteered their time.

Green River has three prominent campgrounds and various teams were spread throughout the Smith Ridge, Lone Valley and Ramp 1 areas.

Each team worked together for the most part, and, at the end of the event, all the teams came together at Lone Valley and shared a lunch that was donated by various restaurants in the community.

“All of our athletic teams participate in various service projects throughout the year,” Hardy said. “But it was great to see all of our teams come together as a whole and support Green River State Park. This is the first of many service projects we will do together as a whole athletic department.”

Campbellsville University is a Champions of Character Institution and to be awarded that honor, the students, faculty and staff, athletes and coaches have to live out the five core values that the Champions of Character stands for: respect, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and servant leadership.

Throughout each semester, the CU athletic department is focusing on each of those core values and showing its support for the Champions of Character program.

The first three weeks of the school year was focused on integrity. University of Kentucky national champions, Jeff Shepard and Doron Lamb, came to Campbellsville University to speak to all athletes about how integrity has changed their lives.

“It was a great event to show the student-athletes that even the highest professional athletes live a life of integrity,” according to Jason England, assistant director of the Big Maroon Club, “and with all the kids in the community, the young aspiring stars look up to the now rising stars at Campbellsville.”

“Being a good example for the kids and showing them the way is how you live a life of integrity,” England said.

This week starts the new core value, respect. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics says that respect is the “simple act of treating others the way you would want to be treated.”

Morgan Cubert, a junior cheerleader from Lawrenceburg, Ky., picks up trash at the lake cleanup. (Campbellsville University photo by Courtney Drury)

And Hardy explains that showing respect to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers isn't about coming out to pick up trash, it is about making the relationships and showing others CU athletics is “More Than A Game.”

“As Christians we are called to be servants,” Hardy said. “Showing respect for Green River State Park and partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a great way to be both servant leaders and show respect. It shows them we are about ‘More Than A Game.'”

Hardy is also partnering with Score International for athletes and coaches to go on mission trips. He has taken many CU athletes on trips to prisons in Florida to play softball and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hardy is now in the beginning stages of planning for all CU coaches to go on a mission trip to Costa Rica in the summer of 2014.

The Champions of Character Core Value weeks include: Aug. 26-Sept. 15, integrity; Sept. 16-Oct. 6, respect; Oct. 7-27, responsibility; Oct. 28-Nov. 17, sportsmanship; and Nov. 18-Sept. 8, servant leadership.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with over 3,000 students offering 44 undergraduate programs, 16 master's degrees and four postgraduate areas. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.