DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College men’s basketball team recently spent two days in the Columbus area, joining forces with DC alumni and students to help with the school’s second-annual trip to Columbus for the Make A Difference Day.

The team worked with the Ohio Special Olympics State Bowling Tournament as part of the national Make A Difference Day campaign. For the past 18 years, the fourth Saturday in October has been Make A Difference Day, and has now developed into the nation’s largest single day of volunteerism. This year, DC was part of three million people who turned out to perform thousands of charitable acts for others on Oct. 25.

The weekend had a lasting impact on several players, who found the experience to be very rewarding. “It was not about us, it was about them” junior Nate Conley said. “They were a member of our team and we were a member of theirs. It was a great feeling.”

“It is so easy for these students to get caught up in athletics, school work and their social lives, that it is easy to forget the big picture,” said DC mentor Kyle Brumett. “This event is an opportunity to be reminded that this is what life is about.”

Spending time volunteering for community service projects is not uncommon for athletic teams at Defiance College. During the 2007-08 academic year, DC student-athletes contributed more than 2,300 hours of service in and around the Defiance community.

Defiance College has been recognized repeatedly for its efforts in community service and U.S. News and World Report named DC among the top tier of comprehensive baccalaureate colleges in the Midwest. Defiance was also featured for excellence in blending academics with community work by The Princeton Review in its Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement.

#####