During the holiday season, it is important to remember to give thanks and give back to those in need. Many of the club sports at ISU make sure that they do just that.

The Triathlon club is just one of the many clubs at ISU that participates in charity and volunteer work.  The two main events that the club participates in are the Children’s Bike Rodeo and the Sugar Creek Clean-Up.

Participation in the Children’s Bike Rodeo includes promoting safe biking habits like wearing helmets.

“A ton of cyclists get hit yearly so this event is close to our goals as a team,” Billy Fuener, president, said.
The Tribirds are also involved in cleaning up trash surrounding Sugar Creek. The team plans on continuing to participate in both of these events in the future.

Another ISU club that frequently participates in charity events and volunteer work is the Equestrian Club, which is involved with Central Illinois Riding Therapy, The Special Olympics, The Girl Scouts of America and Relay for Life.

“We go to [Central Illinois Riding Therapy’s] barns occasionally [to] help out with lessons and help the students get to know their horses,” Lindsay Fairbanks, club president said.

Club members perform similar duties for the Special Olympics, including handing out medals.

For the Girl Scouts of America, the Equestrian Club goes to its summer camp before campers arrive and take the horses out on the trails.

“It helps the horses not get spooked when the girls get there,” Fairbanks said.

The ISU Equestrian Club has been one of the top teams in fundraising for Relay for Life over the past few years, and they plan on continuing their involvement in that and other charities.

“If we are able to give back, we should,” Fairbanks said. “Being an equestrian is time consuming and costly so we should help whenever we can.”

The ISU Paintball Club also participates in fundraising events and has planned a three-man street ball style tournament in order to raise money for the Easter Seals. The tournament will be held on March 2, 2013 and will host players from all different divisions.

“We want to give the players a chance to get to know new people in the sport and raise money for a good cause,” Jordan Schaefer, vice president said.

Although this is the first year the Paintball Club has organized this charity event, the team plans on making it an annual event along with the food drives it participates in throughout the year.

“We have been really blessed in our community to compete in a very expensive sport, and sometimes our players lose sight of that,” Schaefer said. “Doing charity work helps bring our guys back down and understand that it is a sport in the end, and we can have a much bigger impact than just going to tournaments and winning.”