Western Courier

Issue date: 6/18/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jessica Ruebush Leathernecks football players Brandon Kreczmer, Buddy Dudczak, defensive coordinator Thomas Casey and player Victor Visoky stop to pose for a picture while sandbagging in Niota, Ill.

With flood warnings downstate reaching dangerous levels, two groups of Western Illinois University students have stepped up to help the community in a time of need.

David Zanolla, of Carthage, offered his Communications 241 students a chance to make a difference. As part of a service learning project, where students volunteer their time to help the community and then present what they learned to the class, Zanolla offered to provide transportation to the town of Niota as well as lunch to whoever was interested. In exchange, they would spend the day helping other volunteers fill sandbags for a nearby levee.

When presented with this opportunity, the majority of the class elected to participate. Students filled sandbags from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.

"My class was extremely positive about the opportunity, and it was encouraging to see how these students understood the gravity of the situation at hand," Zanola said.

The communications students were not the only Leathernecks to recognize the crisis and pitch in. Earlier this week, after a very early workout and a morning of classes, a group of Leatherneck football players also traveled to Niota.

On Monday, Thomas Casey, football defensive coordinator, and Jason Kaufman, assistant athletics director for media services and broadcasting, took players Brandon Kreczmer, Buddy Dudczak and Victor Visoky to fill sandbags and help the town prepare for the flood.

"Very rarely do you get a chance in life to help somebody that's in this situation, and for us, to come out here and help these people in need is a great experience, and it also provides satisfaction," Casey said.

Victor Visoky, a sophomore defensive lineman, said, "It affected me a lot; everything I saw on the news, going down there to help those families, seeing that community come together," Visoky said. "It meant a lot to become part of that community for the few hours I was there."

Western can be proud of the way these students have represented the university during a crisis situation.

"We applaud the many wonderful volunteers - some from Western - who have given so much of their time to help with sandbagging and other duties, and we encourage people to donate what they can to the Red Cross and other flood organizations or to help in any way they can," said Western President Al Goldfarb.

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