JACOB KENDRA OF SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, a junior baseball player, has been selected as the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Male Character and Community Student-Athlete of the Week for the week beginning April 4, 2016.
The SCAC honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.
Kendra began volunteering at the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter in Georgetown, Texas, just over a year ago.
“I have a lot of dogs at home and they have been a big part of my life,” Kendra said. “Every time I go there, I get this overwhelming sense that all of these animals, dogs and cats, are just confined to these cages. People never give them the time of day because all they want is a puppy or a purebred, or something like that.”
This sparked Kendra to do something more. He began visiting the shelter sometimes once or twice a week. He wanted to give the shelter animals a better life.
“I’ll spend about 20 to 30 minutes with each dog,” Kendra added. “I’ll take them into the back where there is a big open field. I can just play with them, play fetch and just give them some time to run around so they can live a normal dog’s life, instead of being trapped.”
Kendra, who is a pitcher for the Pirates baseball team, says the best part is the interaction with the animals and seeing how they react.
“They are just so happy to be around a human and enjoy human contact and feel loved,” the Carlsbad, California, native said. “They don’t get that all of the time which is sad. I enjoy being able to be there for them.”