BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College Women's Lacrosse team has been exceptional this Fall serving the community, amassing over 110 hours of community service since the start of the academic year.

Recipients of the team's servant leadership this season have included the Bread of Life Food Bank and Community Kitchen, the Mountain Song Festival benefitting the Cindy Platt Boys & Girls Club, Brevard Wesleyan Church, the Co-Ed Cinema and Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child.

At the Bread of Life Food Bank and Community Kitchen in Brevard, the BC Women's Lacrosse student-athletes volunteer every Thursday evening.  To help in the operation at Bread of Life which provides meals and assistance for those in need, the Tornados assist in everything from prepping food to bagging pet food.  The team also assists in packing and organizing the food bank's pantry system, a critical component of the operation in preparation for the upcoming winter months.

The Women's Lacrosse team also was a key part of an effort by the entire Brevard College Athletic Department to collect and deliver non-perishable items to Bread of Life.  The Tornado student-athletes collected a grand total of 1,840 non-perishable items as part of the USA South Conference's "Cans Across the Conference" program.  As part of the program, the Brevard College Student Athletes Advisory Committee (SAAC) spearheaded the "Trick or Treat for Cans" initiative on October 28 which alone accounted for the collection of 1,174 non-perishable items.  The items were then delivered to Bread of Life to later be distributed to those in need.

In November, the Tornados Women's Lacrosse team packed and shipped shoebox gifts during National Collection Week for the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child program.  The shoebox gifts are distributed by Samaritan's Purse to underprivileged children around the world who otherwise would be without a Christmas gift.

In early September, the Brevard College Women's Lacrosse team volunteered at the Mountain Song Festival which benefits the Cindy Platt Boys & Girls Club in Brevard.  Other initiatives by the team included a campus clean up to help further beautify the Brevard College grounds, volunteering at Brevard Wesleyan Church, and a clean-up effort of the theater at the historic Co-Ed Cinema in downtown Brevard.

"This year's team is a great group who are very active on campus and in the community of Brevard," said Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Kristin Rosato.  "Most impressively, the student-athletes have been going out on their own and finding different service opportunities to get involved with.  Our team strives for academic and athletic success, but also to be good people both on the campus and in the community."

The Brevard College Women's Lacrosse team will continue its community service programming in the spring semester as the Tornados will also hit the playing field for the 2019 season.  The Tornados open with an exhibition on February 2 at Converse College in Spartanburg followed by a home exhibition on February 6 vs. Columbia College (SC).  The regular season begins with a home game vs. Brenau University on February 9 at Ives-Lemel Field.

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