UC Merced’s student-athletes shine on the court, the field — and in our community. This year, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) raised more than $1,000 for local foster youth in a coin drive.
“Doing a coin drive was a great way to harness our student-athletes’s highly competitive spirit to raise money for a great cause,” said Abbie-Leigh Meneses, SAAC president.
And their competitive nature served them well. They exceeded their initial goal of $250 in the first five days. Tabling throughout campus maximized the effort by attracting donations from students, faculty and staff. Helping local foster youth was a strong motivator.
Doris Reyes, who is on the women’s cross-country team, was in foster care in Kern County. As the lead for this year’s SAAC community service and donation drives, her story made an impact on the committee.
“We decided to donate to foster care children in Merced to help children like Doris.” Meneses said, adding that the goal was to take a few shopping for the holidays.
Merced School Employees Federal Credit Union also supported the committee’s endeavor by donating the use of its coin machine.
