One of the things we are taught at Mercyhurst from the beginning of our time here is that it is important to be involved in the community.

It is vital that we make connections with other people, especially the children. The women’s basketball team is doing just that by hosting a kids camp.

The kids camp will take place on Sept. 10 in the Athletic Center for both boys and girls grades kindergarten through eighth grade.

The camp begins at 5 p.m. and will include basketball drills and games, followed by a movie.

The movie is set to end around 10 p.m., which makes the basketball camp a total of five hours long.

The cost is $20 per camper and Mercyhurst alumni can register their children for the camp at a discounted price of $15 per camper. One can also register three children for a total of $50.

Brenna Heise, Assistant Women’s basketball coach, said, “It will be a fun atmosphere with basketball instruction in both drills and games. The first half of camp will involve various basketball activities and the second half will be a movie showing.”

Kids who register for this camp will receive dinner, a T-shirt and a gift from Mercyhurst.

“We marketed it as an opportunity for parents to have a night away from their kids without having to worry about finding a babysitter! Members of our current team are helping at camp and will be interacting with the kids throughout,” Heise said.

Not only do players get to serve as an inspiration for younger generations who aspire to play college sports, but the camp can also help serve as a reflection point. Not many make it to the level of college athletics, the camp will help serve as a reminder of where they [the players] came from and how far they have gotten in their athletic career.

The following morning, Sept. 11, the women’s basketball team will be hosting an elite camp. This is for kids in ninth grade through twelfth grade.

The camp will run for seven hours, beginning at nine in the morning and ending at four in the afternoon.

Registration will include a T-shirt, lunch and a special gift from Mercyhurst. The cost for the Elite Skills Camp was originally $65 for the early bird rate. However, this price will increase to $75 per camper after the early bird window closed on Sept. 1.

It is important that all of us, as students here at Mercyhurst, involve ourselves in service for others.

A kids camp is a great way for players to connect with younger people in the Erie community and have fun doing it.

“We believe it is extremely important for Mercyhurst to host camps to get our name in the community as well as students on our campus”, said Heise.

“Especially with us being a newer staff, we [want to] make it a priority to host camps and meet as many student-athletes and coaches as possible!”

With the Athletic Center being renovated, now is as good a time as ever to check out the Laker for Life Campaign. Anyone can give a donation or volunteer their time and efforts to help our student athletes here at Mercyhurst. It is never too late to get involved.

Students are always told that we need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, even if it doesn’t seem like we can make an impact.

The Mercyhurst women’s basketball team should be inspiring all of us to put ourselves out there and build connections with those around us in our local communities.

Any questions regarding the kids camp can be sent to Brenna Heise at bheise@mercyhurst.edu.