On a cold and blustery Friday afternoon, eight SCTCC student-athletes and one instructor loaded a van with box after box of supplies headed for Puerto Rico.
After the devastating impact of hurricanes Irma and Maria, citizens of Puerto Rico are still struggling to get basic necessities. For eight SCTCC Cyclones baseball players from Puerto Rico, the hurricanes hit home. Their families are among those still in need of clean water, food, hygiene products, baby formula and other basic supplies.
Inspired by SCTCC instructor Vicky Kapitzke, the baseball players spearheaded an effort to collect needed supplies to ship to Puerto Rico. SCTCC faculty and staff quickly jumped on board offering to help by using their offices as collection locations. The Nursing and Dental Hygiene programs contributed medical and dental supplies, and donations came in from all across campus. Before long, the boxes started filling up.
“We weren’t sure what to expect, we thought maybe we’d fill a few boxes,” said Kaptizke.
In total, the eight baseball players packed and loaded 26 boxes of supplies.
The following day, Baseball Head Coach Jason Fischer drove the van filled with supplies and his players to La Coalición de Boricuas en Minnesota (Coalition of Puerto Ricans in Minnesota). From there, the donations from SCTCC would be sent to Puerto Rico where they would be delivered by air to those in need.
Thanks to the team effort from SCTCC and the Cyclones clothing packed in each box, Cyclones baseball may have some new fans in Puerto Rico.
