Georgia Southern athletics not only had a banner year on the field and in the classroom, but the Eagles were incredibly active in their community service goals for 2021-22. In fact, Georgia Southern University logged 7,267 total department community service hours, surpassing the year’s goal of 7,000.
In addition, the Eagles donated 1,000 meals at the January 15 Feed the Boro event. Overall, 100% of Georgia Southern teams participated in some form of community service during the year covering 94 separate service opportunities and aiding 56 different community organizations.
According to Helper Helper, a community service app that connects volunteers to meaningful experiences in their community, the Eagles ranked among NCAA Division I’s best in community service hours. The women’s basketball team, the volleyball team and the swimming and diving team all topped the nation in community service hours, helping Georgia Southern’s women’s programs rank sixth overall in NCAA DI. Men’s basketball ranked fourth nationally, while men’s and women’s tennis and softball ranked fifth. Women’s soccer ranked eighth, giving the Eagles eight different teams that ranked among the Top 10 nationally in community service.
In terms of raw hours, the Georgia Southern football team logged a total of 1,668 community service hours, leading the department. Women’s basketball logged 1,312 hours, while volleyball recorded 1,145 hours. Softball (607) and baseball (559) rounded out the top five programs in hours volunteered.
The hours were calculated from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 30322, and they were based on events submitted by each team’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative and reported to the Helper Helper app throughout the year.