BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The SEC sponsors Community Service Teams for all 21 league sponsored sports. The Community Service Team looks to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to their community in superior service efforts. The 16th annual women’s volleyball Community Service Team follows:
Cidavia Hall, Senior, Middle Blocker, Alabama
Hall has participated in a number of community service projects over her time with the Crimson Tide. During the 2018 volleyball season, she found time to volunteer at the Women and Gender Resource Center and College Hill Baptist Church. Hall participated in the city of Tuscaloosa’s annual Tech or Treat event during Halloween time, which aims to offer a family-friendly event to introduce children to science, technology, engineering and math opportunities. Similarly, she also volunteered at the University of Alabama’s annual Halloween Extravaganza, which gives local children an opportunity to interact with UA student-athletes in a variety of sport-themed games and activities. She has spent time with Alberta Head Start, the Rise Center and the Special Olympics.
Brenna McIlroy, Senior, Outside Hitter, Auburn
McIlroy has been very active during her time on the Plains. She works with the Lee County Autism Resource and Advocacy, a non-profit organization for families with kids on the spectrum. McIlroy Has worked with the program’s Camp C.A.R.E. (Camp Autism Respite & Education) every summer at Children’s Harbor on Lake Martin. She has been a part of the Downtown Trick or Treat festival in Auburn ever year, signing autographs and passing out candy. McIlroy spent time with her team at the BraveHeart Center for Place and Purpose in Auburn, a place that provides individuals with disabilities opportunities to grow in many areas including health and fitness. She has sponsored a child with her team through the Salvation Army Angel Tree program and has been a part of the BIG Event, a university volunteer day that gives students the opportunity to provide community service tasks within the city of Auburn.
Allie Gregory, Junior, Libero, Florida
Gregory has spent 18.5 hours working with children at St. Francis, assisting them with school work and other tasks throughout the day. She also took time to assist the Gator Jr. Golf Mentor Day. Gregory was named to the 2017 SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Sydney Gilliam, Senior, Defensive Specialist, Georgia
Gilliam has participated in the UGA Relay for Life, Special Olympics, and the Extra Special People (ESP) programs at Georgia. She is also active in the Clarke County Mentor Program and Team United. Gilliam is an active member of SAAC, LEAD (the Georgia student-athlete leadership academy) and PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America.
Mackenzie Watson, Senior, Libero, Kentucky
Watson has worked with the Special Olympics in track & field and basketball, assisting in organizing athletes during different events, serving as a motivator for athletes before and after their respective events as well as playing against athletes in game. In addition to packing lunches for children of Lexington with God’s pantry, Watson has also volunteered at the Lexington Homeless Shelter, serving dinner to residents. She also spent time at Williams Wells Brown Elementary, visiting with kids and talking to them about the importance of healthy living through sport. Watson also worked with the school’s summer program that focuses on physical education, teaching volleyball and making healthy snacks for campers. She has participated in the Backpack Program as well. This past July, Watson went on a mission to Ethiopia visiting Cora, one of the poorest areas, delivering necessities and interacting with the local community. She is a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree.
Katie Kampen, Senior, Defensive Specialist/Outside Hitter, LSU
Kampen leads the LSU volleyball team in community service hours and has continued to work with many organizations over her years as a Tiger. She has helped feed the homeless, moved freshmen into their new dorms, continued to educate youth volleyball players at the Tigers’ annual kid’s clinic and has volunteered at many middle school, pre-schools and retirement homes around Baton Rouge. Kampen participated in the JDRF Walk for the Cure and distributed candy to children at the Tigers’ annual Halloween BOOzar. She is a huge advocate off the court in the Baton Rouge community.
Emily Stroup, Junior, Outside Hitter, Ole Miss
In addition to being a standout on both the court and in the classroom, Stroup also serves as one of the Rebels’ most active community members. She volunteers at the Brookdale Assisted Living Center and has volunteered to read to children at local elementary schools via the Reading with the Rebels program. Stroup has also served as a member of the Dr. Seuss Read Across America Day, Rebel-THON, and the Big Event. She also volunteers with the city’s local volleyball clinics and has serves as the head volunteer for the volleyball section of National Girls and Women in Sports Clinic. Stroup, a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, participates in local visits through the Oxford School District.
Khristian Carr, Senior, Outside Hitter, Mississippi State
Giving back to her hometown comes naturally for Carr. She is living her dream of playing on the court, while also taking advantage of her free time to give back to her community through volunteering. Carr has given back to her community in many ways, such as, lending a helping hand at the Palmer Home for Children, Operation Gratitude and National Girls and Women in Sports Day youth event. She has volunteered at vacation bible school, lent a hand at the health fair and attended Mississippi State M-Club Meetings. Carr is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Her volunteering efforts as a sophomore earned her a spot on the 2016 SEC Community Service Team.
Alyssa Munlyn, Senior, Middle Blocker, Missouri
Munlyn has completed 40-plus hours of community service this school year and nearly 80 hours of community service over her four-year career at the University of Missouri. This past May, she visited the country of Haiti with nine other Mizzou student-athletes for the “Soles4Souls” program, which creates sustainable jobs and provides relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world. Local Mid-Missouri groups Munlyn has volunteered for over her Mizzou tenure have included the Show Me State Games, Mizzou Volleyball Black & Gold Youth Clinic, Mizzou Volleyball Open House, Special Olympics, Reading Buddy at Columbia Elementary Schools, Caleb’s Pitch, Mizzou Volleyball Youth League and visits to University of Missouri hospitals. She participated in the 2017 and 2018 Black Student-Athlete Summit. Munlyn was named to the 2015-16 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, the 2016 and 2017 SEC Academic Honor Roll and a 2018 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar.
Brooke Gostomski, Sophomore, Outside Hitter, South Carolina
Gostomski has compiled 46.5 hours of community outreach during the 2018-19 school year. Back home in Wisconsin, she volunteered at a local hospice and crocheted blankets for patients over the summer. At school, Gostomski has volunteered 26.5 hours at the Pawmetto Lifeline animal shelter and helped with Columbia’s Relief’s “Pack the Bus” event, helping to organize donations at the organization’s warehouse. She was named to the 2017-18 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
Alyssa Andreno, Junior, Right Side, Tennessee
Andreno serves as the Chair of Community Outreach in SAAC. She has completed over 25 hours of service with several organizations, including Club Vibes, Catalyst Sports, YMCA, Read Across America and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Andreno is a member of the VOLeaders Academy, where she traveled to Ecuador on a service immersion experience. She completed over 60 hours of service at various organizations where she did sport-based camps with disadvantaged youth, youth with disabilities and survivors of domestic violence. Andreno served on the planning team for the UT Sports Fest, an adaptive sport festival for youth with and without disabilities.
Haley Slocum, Junior, Setter/Defensive Specialist, Texas A&M
Slocum has participated in numerous volunteer activities on campus and within the community throughout her collegiate career, including serving as a site leader for The Big Event, the largest one-day, student-run service project in the nation in which Aggies assist residents within the community. She has volunteered for Aggies Read, an outreach organization that is dedicated to promoting literacy and fostering a love of reading for elementary students in the community, and she has participated in SportsFest, in which she plays volleyball with kids and teaches them about the sport. Slocum also has volunteered for Aggies Move, a local nonprofit initiative to help children make healthier nutritional choices and encourage physical activity, and she has volunteered at the Special Olympics Spring Games and the Aggies CAN food drive, benefitting the Brazos Valley Food Bank. A member of Chi Omega, she assists with the women’s fraternity’s annual Songfest, the largest Greek philanthropy event on Texas A&M’s campus that benefits nearly 30 philanthropies. Slocum is a coach for the Aggie Elite Volleyball Club.
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