Commitment to Service

Purdue Softball in the Community

The Boilermaker softball team chose to give back to the community by running bingo for the elderly. The Boilers visited Westminster Village, an independent living retirement community, in West Lafayette, and volunteered their time to run the Saturday bingo for the residents.

“It’s important for our student-athletes to get out into the community and give of their time,” stated assistant coach Kathryn Gleason. “They learned lessons outside the classroom that gave them an appreciation of previous generation’s experiences.”

The student-athletes helped call out numbers from the rolling cage, assisted with the residents’ bingo cards, and served punch at the completion of the games. Most importantly, they visited with the residents and gave them companionship for the afternoon.

“It was rewarding just to sit and listen to their stories,” explained junior Shelli Messer. “I could tell they enjoyed our company.”

“Taking time out of our busy schedule to give back to the community is important,” said senior captain Angela Knight, who also organized the event. “I feel it was significant time well-spent for our team.”