Volleyball-A-Thon returns again

Liberty Athletics and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will host the second annual Volleyball-A-Thon on Dec. 7 to raise money to give students of Lynchburg City Schools the opportunity to go to summer camp.

The Volleyball-A-Thon will be held at the Schilling Center from 10 p.m. to 2 p.m. and is an approved late night event for all students.

Sign-ups for teams began Monday, Nov. 28, and will last through Tuesday, Dec 6. Students who are interested can sign up at the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall or at the back hallway of DeMoss. Each team must be made up of eight people, and the cost per team is $60.

Morgaine Godwin, life skills coordinator for Liberty Athletics, organized this year’s event. She said she feels confident many teams will sign up this year because the proceeds will benefit such a good cause.

“Many of our students and student athletes here at Liberty have been fortunate enough to attend summer camps when they were younger, like sports or church camps … these camps provide local children an opportunity to learn important life skills,” she said. “This is a great opportunity for the student body to positively impact the community.”

She said Liberty’s student athletes had the opportunity to choose a community service to focus on this year, and they chose Lynchburg City Schools and have challenged themselves to “pay it forward” in the local community.

Liberty’s club volleyball team, who won last year’s event, have already signed up to compete again this year. Members of Liberty’s track and field teams are also planning to compete on a team, Godwin said.

A total of 37 teams participated in last year’s Volleyball-A-Thon, according to Tim Hartin, a graduate assistant for Athletics Communications. The event raised $2,500 in proceeds which went to the Olooloitikoshi Girls Rescue Center in Khajiado, Kenya. Jewelry made by girls at the Rescue Center was also sold at the event to raise money. The amount raised was double the SAAC’s goal, Hartin said, and was enough to fund two full-year scholarships for girls at the center.

Spectators are welcome at this year’s event for an admission fee of one dollar.