Cougars Care

They spend countless hours in the gym, on the court, ice and pitch honing their skills for competition – add to that the rigours of schoolwork and studying and you have a snapshot of the typical life of a Mount Royal Cougar student-athlete.

With a full-plate consisting of practices, lectures, labs and games almost every weekend it’s hard to imagine these athletes doing anymore than they currently do. But some way, somehow they do. Despite their hectic schedules, Mount Royal University Cougar varsity athletes accumulated over one-thousand volunteer hours (1023 to be exact) supporting a variety of diverse community service initiatives.

From teaching minor hockey and soccer teams, to working with elementary, juniour and senior high-school students, the Cougars have positively impacted the lives of some 4,500 plus youth in the last year alone.

The two largest programs for the Cougs’, the “C” is for Cougars reading program, and the Cougars on the Court physical education program, reach out to schools all across the city.
Community Outreach Coordinator and women’s volleyball head coach Sandra Lamb, says the program is great for student-athlete development and for the community as a whole.

“This program just adds to what Cougar Athletics is all about,” says Lamb. “Helping them become the complete student-athlete. It is also extremely important to give back to your community and help others grow and flourish while being a positive role model. I believe the program is very important to all those involved.”

In addition to their two staple programs, Cougar student-athletes also saw themselves volunteering at events around campus, including New Student Orientation and U Fest, an annual celebration that marks the start of the fall semester - as well as participating in other unique opportunities, such as the Catholic Family Service Athletes Mentoring program.

The program, pairs volunteer athletes with children and youth over a six-month program. Children benefit from positive interaction with talented student-athletes who also develop leadership skills though their involvement. This program is not designed to develop sports skills, but rather use the safe, group setting of team practices as a place where mentoring can occur.

In addition to their volunteer hours, the Cougars were able to provide some financial assistance back to the community, as the Cougars and SAIT Trojans teamed up for a local KidSport Calgary campaign raising over $1000 for young athletes and their families in need. (Total $1061.25 raised).

Athletics Manager Karla Karch says programs like these are not only extremely important in developing well-rounded student-athletes, but also in supporting the Calgary community.
 

“Providing the student-athletes with an opportunity to volunteer has an abundance of benefits,” said Kach.

“They are working with young people as role models, gaining valuable leadership and citizenship skills that will assist them once they leave MRU. They are giving back to the communities of Calgary all while being in a fun environment. What they do is educate and teach life skills to the next generation through such programs as "C" is for Cougars and Cougars on the Court. I think the programs are a great part of what we do.”

They say that it's not that successful people are givers; it is that givers are successful people and if that statement holds true, the future looks bright for the student-athletes of Cougar Athletics.

For more information on the “C” is for Cougars program or Cougars on the Court, or to find out how to get your school involved, please find more information on our community page, or contact Sandra Lamb, Community Outreach Coordinator.