Fighting Illini Softball Volunteers at Home, On the Road
July 25, 2016 | General, Softball, Hometown Heroes
"It's important to us as student-athletes to give back to our fans. Their support and loyalty is unmatched. Illini fans are everywhere; we want Orange and Blue everywhere." -Jill Nicklas
Orange and Blue was everywhere this past year. The softball team made sure of this by volunteering and providing community service in the Champaign-Urbana community and in other states while on their road trips. Jill Nicklas, originally from Texas and currently a junior on the softball team, sat down and gave us an inside look at her team's efforts off the field for the 2016 season.
From the head coach down, the Fighting Illini softball team shares a love for community service. Not only did the team volunteer locally, but also on the road before and after competition. This is unique for any team to do, and especially impressive since it was initiated by our student-athletes.
This past spring, Nicklas played an integral role in the creation of a new community program for our Fighting Illini student-athletes. The name of the program is FANS. Each letter stands for a specific area our student-athletes find important: fitness, academics, nutrition, and sportsmanship. The program targets youth and teaches them "what it takes to be a true Illini fan." The team begins each visit by explaining to students how Illinois athletes use the acronym in their daily lives. After this, they split students into small groups and lead a variety of activities that link directly to fitness, academics, nutrition, and sportsmanship. Nicklas states, "The program is designed with two parts in mind. One, it's important for us as student-athletes to be good role models. We have an amazing opportunity here at the U of I to reach out to the community and make a positive impact. Two, we want kids to stay involved and be able to express themselves in healthy, positive ways. FANS allows us to accomplish all of this."
The softball team is also a huge advocate of the 2nd & 7 Foundation. Started by a group of Ohio State football players, the program's goal is "to tackle" illiteracy. Student-athletes from across the country visit elementary schools and read books to students, emphasizing the importance of respect and the need to stop bullying. Each student is also given a book to keep at the end of the day. The softball team made visits to schools in Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Kentucky, with Nicklas stating her favorite part of volunteering was seeing the excitement among the kids. "They were in awe because not even their local teams had made a visit to their school. I think we created a lot more Illini fans."
The team stayed busy in their offseason too by volunteering with the Eastern Illinois Foodbank, Habitat for Humanity, and walking in the Buddy Walk (raises awareness for Down Syndrome).
"We're looking forward to another fun season on and off the field. Thank you, Illini fans, for your continued love and support. We couldn't do it without you!" -Jill Nicklas
