On November 2, seven members of the WMU club softball team participated in a service-learning project at the Center for Disability Services’ community connections program.
Elissia Vecere, WMU sophomore majoring in biomedical sciences and secretary of the WMU club softball team, works for CDS and was interested in setting up this experience for her fellow teammates for them to gain experience working with individuals with disabilities.
WMU Club Softball Team
During the experience, each of the seven athletes were paired with a consumer. The team provided activities such as bowling, cornhole, cookie decorating and a group painting craft.
“The overall goals for the volunteers and I were to provide a fun and relaxing environment for the consumers to enjoy,” says Vecere. “Although it was out of the comfort zone for some of the volunteers, they opened up quickly and provided a great experience for the consumers. The entire team had a great time and we’re hoping to hold this event more often!”
Club sports at WMU have tier requirements where they can either hold events, volunteer at events or attend events on campus held by other club sports. The team plans on returning to CDS on a regular basis since everyone had such a great time!