By Sean Kranske, Contributing Writer
On March 4, the West Liberty University women’s soccer team volunteered to assist the Youth Services System (YSS) with an important moving project.
The project involved moving the location of the Helinski Shelter, a safe space for young women ages 8 to 17 who have left their homes for various reasons. The YSS offers services and tools to help rebuild their lives. The moving project was to move the shelter from the previous Moundsville location to the new Wheeling Island spot.
The project took a lot of work, but with help from the soccer players, the job was completed in a single day. The majority of the work came from moving the personal items of those staying in the Helinski Shelter, as well as all the building’s furnishings.
It was important that YSS completed the moving project, but the idea to include the women’s soccer team was presented by Vice President of Institutional Advancement Jason Koegler, who is also YSS chairman.
The players were excited to help their community. The team proved to be a great asset in the project’s completion, as there was a lot of work that had to be done in a relatively short amount of time.
Soccer player Thanna Oddo said, “We loaded moving trucks with all of the girls’ belongings, beds, desks, and drawers and went to the new location and helped unload the items as well. It took about five hours, and we filled three moving trucks.”
Despite the amount of work, the team was more than happy to help. Oddo said, “Our coach had told us about this opportunity and the team wanted to do it. It was a great experience for us and we were happy we had the chance to help!”The women’s soccer team’s head coach Barry Christmas was also happy to help with the project and was not surprised by the positive attitudes of the players.
“The players were more than happy to offer their time and physical labor to the project. Their positive attitude toward the event wasn’t a surprise to me; they are a good group of girls and it’s important that we offer help within our community whenever we can,” Christmas said.
Photo credit: Media Relations & Hilltoppersports.com
