May 12, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Alabama senior sprinter Michael Cooley and sophomore thrower Elizabeth Wilson were named to the 2008 SEC Track and Field Community Service Team as announced by the conference office today.

Cooley participated in the Halloween Extravaganza, which gives area kids a safe Halloween and Project Angel Tree, where they buy Christmas presents for area kids who have a parent incarcerated.

He spoke to Brewer Porch Children's Center about the importance of diversity in college sports and working with diverse people and read to kids at Martin Luther King Elementary School during "Read Across America" Week. In addition, the history major spoke to University Place Elementary School about staying off drugs during "Red Ribbon" Week and to University Place Elementary School testing pep rally giving tips on how to prepare for standardized tests.

Wilson also participated in Halloween Extravaganza, which gives area kids a safe Halloween, Project Angel Tree, where the community can buy Christmas presents for area kids who have a parent incarcerated and in Gatorade Get 60, which promotes the importance of physical activity and being healthy to kids. The Huntsville, Ala. native has also helped with the can food drive benefitting the West Alabama Food Bank and helped 4th graders with art projects at the Paul Bryant Museum.

The 2008 SEC Men's Track and Field Community Service Team follows:

Tyler Hill, Arkansas In the community, Tyler Hill has been a volunteer with Special Olympics as well as spending time speaking to area schools and local medical clinics. He is active in Arkansas Athletes Outreach and has helped with Razorbacks for Christmas, helping provide gifts for underprivileged kids. Athletically, the biology major from Ethel, La. is a four-year letterman in cross country and track and field. He recently earned his first All-America honor with an eighth-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Luke Robinson, Auburn Robinson has volunteered throughout the Spring Semester at Storybook Farms - an equestrian-based program offering free therapeutic care to children with chronic or terminal illnesses, disabilities, and those learning to live with a loss. A mathematics education major from Scottsboro, Ala., Robinson has been going there Tuesday's from 3:30 to 6:30 all semester.

Eric Alberter, Florida Alberter regularly visits children in the pediatrics clinic at SHANDS Hospital as part of the Children's Miracle Network. A native of Belleville, Ill., Alberter has been active in the fight against cancer, participating in the Climb for Cancer Sports Camp.

Nate Rolfe, Georgia Rolfe joined in the UGA Athletic Association-sponsored program where student-athletes visit patients/children in local hospitals on a regular basis. He also tutored other UGA student-athletes in physics over the past two years. The psychology major went into the community and attempted to increase awareness about Georgia's track and field teams and its home meets as well as living a healthy lifestyle by doing regular exercise. A native of Kenmore, Wash., he also helped out with free throwing clinics in the Seattle area during the past two years.

John Richardson, Kentucky Richardson has served as a weekly mentor at Johnson Elementary and Yates Elementary, read to children at Cassidy Elementary School, worked with Habitat for Humanity and volunteered at the UK High School Meet. In 2008, the Ocean City, N.J. native won the Fifth-Third Bank Community Service Award given to the UK male athlete most dedicated to service in the community. A marketing major, he is a 2007 inductee into the Frank G. Ham Society of Character, recognizing student-athletes that have gone above and beyond to fulfill the five commitments of the CHAMPS/Life Skills program consisting of academic excellence, athletic excellence, career development, personal development and community service.

Brett Borne, LSU Borne has been an active participant in community service projects. He has served on the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was recently elected Vice President for the 2008-09 academic year. His community involvement includes serving as a judge for the Halloween Door Decorating Contest at Arlington Prep Academy, as well as volunteering at this year's LSU Day at St. Vincent de Paul where he participated in repair projects at a local homeless shelter. In addition, he helped set up the track and field station at this year's Halloween BOOzar where team members passed out candy, played games and signed autographs for local children, as well as volunteered for LSU's annual Christmas Toy Drive to provide underprivileged children with toys and clothes during the holiday season. In the fall, he teamed with LSU basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal and other current LSU student-athletes to build a playground for the children at Polk Elementary School near the LSU campus.

James Maloney, Ole Miss Maloney not only helped the Oxford community, but has done the same in his home state of Rhode Island. Maloney also participated in Reading with the Rebels to help Oxford elementary students in the classroom. The english and journalism major recently spent one of his spring breaks to return to Rhode Island to help repair an elementary inner city school in Providence. He spent the week at St. Patrick Elementary helping paint the building while also redoing the school's gymnasium. Most recently, Maloney used part of his summer vacation last year to volunteer as an assistant football coach for a Pop Warner league in his home town. He is a recipient of the Brad Davis SEC Community Service Post-Graduate Scholarship

Joseph Queen, Mississippi State Queen participates in Backyard Bible Club, where every week they go to different neighborhoods and take the children to the park, play with them and try to show them how to love others the way that Christ did. He also has played a major role in the Special Olympics that is hosted by MSU twice a year. The volunteers help run the games and events, officiate and present awards at the end.

Michael Zajac, South Carolina Zajac has committed his time as a Harvest hope Food Bank Volunteer, City of Columbia Summer Sports Camp volunteer and a Children's Summer Day Program volunteer.

Chris Kane, Tennessee Kane's efforts include volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, Race for the Cure, PRIDE Awards speaker, Make a Wish, Prom of the Stars, Salvation Army bell ringing, and speaking to elementary students at the Neyland-Thompson Sports Complex.

Elizabeth Wilson was named to the SEC Community Service Team.

Rob Whiting, Vanderbilt Whiting started Vanderbilt Students for Students (VSS). It was just last September when he, along with several teammates and friends, founded the campus organization directed to help students at Pearl-Cohn High School in Nashville meet the financial requirements that go along with making college a reality. The organization does this through two primary mediums: first, by helping students find and apply for college scholarships and financial aid; second, and perhaps more importantly, by raising funds to create their own scholarship--a scholarship raised by students, for students. One of the ways that VSS raises funds is through a charity race called the "Vanderbilt Mile Bonanza." Held in early April, the Mile Bonanza is a Nashville-wide running event with prizes, awards, food, and music.

Since its founding, VSS has transformed into Students for Students Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. This was prompted primarily by an anonymous donation of $2,500 contingent on them attaining 501(c)3 status, and the subsequent realization that becoming nonprofit would open the door to larger donations and greater opportunities. They have solicited more than $1,500, and they are now able to apply for various grants.

The 2008 SEC Women's Track and Field Community Service Team follows:

Dacia Barr, Arkansas Barr is very active in the community with her teammates and other Razorback athletes. With Arkansas Athletes Outreach (AAO), she has participated in day-trip outing with underprivileged children and teens, Razorbacks for a Christmas, a gift distribution and party for local area children, and volunteered at summer camps for kids.

Working with the Arkansas Student Life office, she has participated in the Book Hogs reading program and the Sweat Hogs exercise and fitness program, which includes making visits to schools and local area children visiting campus.

Laurel Pritchard, Auburn Pritchard made multiple visits to Cary Woods Elementary School to assist in projects with the children.

Daisy Glasser, Florida Glasser has logged nearly 50 hours of community service. She regularly visits children in the pediatrics clinic at SHANDS Hospital as part of the Children's Miracle Network, donating more than half of her service hours to the cause. The Atlantic Beach, Fla. native has also taken a part in the fight against cancer as a participant in the Climb for Cancer Sports Camp. She has worked with Alachua County youth as volunteer for the Adopt-A-Team and Cooking 101 programs, and has donated time to working with the intramurals program at Stephen Foster Elementary School and also volunteered at the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee barbeque

Kim House, Georgia House volunteered with the UGA Fitness and Wellness Camp for local elementary schools in 2007 and helped out with the Thanksgiving for the Homeless program set up by Timothy Baptist Church in Athens for two years (2006-07). The junior from Alpharetta, Ga. joined teammates as they read to students at Gaines School Elementary for two years (2006-07). She also got involved with the Rock Springs clean-up project called the Classic City Hip-Hop Community Day in 2007. The advertising major also volunteered for the Red Cross in 2005 to help with the UGA Hurricane Katrina Relief project.

Andrea Halasek, Kentucky Halasek served as a weekly mentor at Johnson Elementary and Lansdowne Elementary, read to children at Cassidy Elementary School, worked with Habitat for Humanity and volunteered at the UK Children's hospital and was a volunteer worker at the UK High School Meet.

Katie Dawson, LSU Dawson is the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President, while she represented the university at the annual SEC SAAC Conference in the fall. This past fall, Dawson teamed with LSU basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal and other current LSU student-athletes to build a playground for the children at Polk Elementary School near the LSU campus. She also spearheaded the production of the annual Halloween BOOzar by setting up the track and field station for local kids to trick or treat, play games and get autographs, as well as volunteered for LSU's annual Christmas Toy Drive to provide underprivileged children with toys and clothes during the holiday season. In addition, she served as a volunteer for the Children's Miracle Network Telethon in Baton Rouge. Dawson also helped deliver Easter baskets to underprivileged kids and served as a volunteer at LSU Day at St. Vincent de Paul where she served lunch to more than 300 homeless people. Most recently, she helped organize Tiger Palooza event at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on April 28 to help raise money for former LSU soccer player Robyn Desormeaux, who suffers from Ewing's Sarcoma Cancer.

Carmia Carroll, Ole Miss Carroll participated in numerous community service projects over the past few months beginning with the SEC canned food drive in late September. Along with other members of the track and field team, Carroll stationed herself outside both Wal-Mart and Kroger collecting canned goods to be donated to the Oxford Food Pantry. In addition, she also collected canned foods at both the Ole Miss football and volleyball games for donation. Carroll also took part in the monthly Reading with the Rebels program where she read to elementary schools around Oxford. Most recently, Carroll served as a host for National Student-Athlete Day. Her duties included hosting fourth graders from Oxford Elementary who spent the day on the Ole Miss campus. In this capacity, she offered campus tours, took the elementary students to different classes and showed them the Rebel practice facilities. She is also very involved with the community through projects within her sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Inc. She has worked with the Boys and Girls Club of Oxford to help raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In addition, Carroll has worked with Habitat for Humanity and Relay for Life, a project to raise money for cancer awareness

Annie Marie Falor, Mississippi State Through the M-Club organization, Falor volunteered at Ward Elementary school as a fourth-grade reading buddy. She also spoke, as a representative of track and female athletics, at the Hard Work Café at Ward Elementary when the honor roll students between grades 4 and 6 received a pizza party for their academic achievement. She also participated in Special Olympics 2008 when the regional competition came to Starkville. To keep our campus looking clean, she helped the M-Club repaint the paw prints that lead up to our football stadium. She also performs frequent trash pickups on North campus. For the past four years, she has been involved in the Thanksgiving food drive--distributing bags, promoting donations, & collecting cans. Also through the M-Club, she volunteered at Aiken Village, a local preschool. In April, the entire track team volunteers to host the largest high school track meet in the state of Mississippi.

CaAdrian Norman, South Carolina Norman has participated as a St. Andrews Middle School Field Day Volunteer, Ray Tanner Foundation Run/Walk volunteer, Harvest Hope Food Bank Volunteer, Home Works Volunteer, Salvation Army and a Boy Scout Sports Experience volunteer.

Cleo Tyson, Tennessee Tyson participated in the annual Second Harvest Canned Food Drive In Knoxville, Took Part In Teams and Toys Wrapping Party, Served As A Student-Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC) Holiday Dinner Peer Mentor for UT's VolScholar Program.

Kellianne Kleeman, Vanderbilt Kleeman has turned in over 200 community service hours during the fall and spring semesters. Kleeman served was the main organizer for Squirrel Camp, a freshman orientation camp and has also been involved with the Students for Kenya organization. Kleeman has also spent time involved with the Lwala Benefit. She was also involved in the Live it! Go for the Red, White and Blue program with the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. She participated in the CHAMPS Holiday Party.