There is a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to athletes, especially those who are your run of the mill “jock.”

For the Millikin athletes on campus, they jumped to the assistance of the Gifford, Illinois community on Nov. 22. There were over 60 Millikin athlete assisted the community last minute. These athletes were split into two groups to help.

One group helped in the residential area, which needed serious cleaning up after the tornado, while the other group helped the Red Cross with organizing donated items. These students helped organize items such as clothing, blankets, toys, books and other items, which helped the Red Cross to better assist those who were in need of those such items.

Freshman Amina Zukancic was a member of the women’s soccer team who was able to assist in the cleanup of Gifford.

“I thought the event was a good experience,” Zukancic said. “I’m from Chicago so I’ve never seen real life tornado damage, and going to Gifford really impacted me and made me thankful for the things and people I have in my life.

“I thought it was neat that we went as a team and helped out in any way we could, even if it didn’t involve cleaning up the debris. It helped our team work together and have fun doing service at the same time.”

Overall, athletics is not the only thing that revolves around some athlete’s lives; it is also service. This service event helped create a well-rounded student outside of athletic life and gave meaning and understanding to something that might not have been experiences otherwise. As for the community of Gifford, any help was appreciated and for Millikin University, showing that our community cares and is there for others only helps solidify one of the schools lessons of  preparing students for a personal life of meaning and value.