Collegiate track athletes kick off summer sports season by supporting local students

NAIA Champion of Character program to donate time and supplies to Gulf Shores Elementary School prior to track championships

Submitted
Posted 5/24/17

GULF SHORES AND ORANGE BEACH – Baseball, softball, runs, volleyball events and more will make a splash in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach during the summer of 2017 with the National Association of …

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Collegiate track athletes kick off summer sports season by supporting local students

NAIA Champion of Character program to donate time and supplies to Gulf Shores Elementary School prior to track championships

Posted

GULF SHORES AND ORANGE BEACH – Baseball, softball, runs, volleyball events and more will make a splash in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach during the summer of 2017 with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Championships first in the lineup. As more than 1,500 athletes representing colleges from around the country make their way to Gulf Shores May 25-28, they prepare to give back to coastal Alabama students.

 

The NAIA Champion of Character program is partnering with Feeding the Gulf Coast’s Backpack Program to provide food packages to Gulf Shores Elementary School (GSES) students in need.

 

“NAIA represents so much more than just athletics,” said Beth Gendler, vice president of sales for the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission. “Each year during the track championships, they extend a hand to impact our coastal community in a different way. This year, teachers and counselors at the elementary school will identify students suffering from chronic hunger, and NAIA athletes will accept donations and package food items.”

 

Volunteer athletes will take donations at GSES on Wednesday, May 24 from 8:45-10:45 a.m., and anonymous children in need will receive the bags of food discreetly on Fridays to take home on weekends. For more information on the Feeding the Gulf Coast, visit FeedingTheGulfCoast.org. Visit NAIA.org for more on NAIA.

 

Another major sports event series taking place is the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Global Sports World Series, featuring 950 baseball and softball teams from around the country on various dates in June and July. The Sports Commission, along with the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have hosted USSSA since 2009.

 

For a full schedule of upcoming athletic events along Alabama’s Gulf Coast, visit GulfShores.com/Sports, or call 1-800-745-SAND.