MICHAEL GEBHARDT OF SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, a senior on the men’s golf team, has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Male Student-Athlete-of-the-Week for the week beginning January 25, 2016
The SCAC honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.
For Gebhardt, making a difference in his community’s youth is important.
“The fact that it involves kids is really important to me,” Gebhardt explained. “They are born into these situations that they had no way of dealing with, no way of getting out of. One of [The Locker’s] sayings is ‘Give a kid a sense of normalcy,’ so it gives them a sense of normalcy in life.”
Gebhardt adds that one of his favorite projects at The Locker is Camp Crosby, which is a sports camp that happens each July.
Additionally, the organization holds “Locker Nights” at various athletic events, which helps raise awareness for the cause in the community.
Gebhardt became involved in the foundation after he and a group of friends were asked to help out at Camp Crosby.
Even with graduation in the near future, Gebhardt plans on staying involved with the organization after leaving Southwestern.
“Whether I’m on the Board or not, I plan on keeping in touch,” he said. “I want to at least help with Camp Crosby each year. It’s also a great way to keep in touch with everyone at Southwestern.”