Utah State Student-Athletes Participate In Shop With A Jock Program

LOGAN, Utah – For the second-straight year, Utah State Athletics teamed up with eFORCE? Software this Holiday season for the second-annual Shop With a Jock event. The event which started in 2009, gives deserving kids the opportunity to go Christmas shopping with 25 athletes from all 16 sports at USU, including Big Blue. “Some of the other athletes who have done Shop With a Jock told me about their experiences from the previous year, and I knew I wanted to participate this year,” said sophomore women’s tennis student-athlete Jenny Phillips. “It is so easy to feel the Christmas spirit around children, and I wanted to be part of that!” The kids who participated were nominated by a local elementary school. It was held on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010, and started at the Dee Glenn Smith Spectrum with a meet and greet along with getting T-shirts, followed by autographs from the student-athletes. Next, the student-athletes were paired up with the kids and posed for a group picture on the floor of the Spectrum. After the pictures, everyone boarded an Aggie shuttle and headed to Shopko. “Seeing their faces when we checked out, and they received their bag full of goodies,” said senior gymnast Jackie Dillion. “They were so happy, and it made me feel so good to be a part of a school-program that could donate to the less fortunate.” Once at Shopko, the kids checked off their shopping lists while getting to know more about their kids. Senior football players Maxim Dinka-Mba and Devin Johnson even came up with a secret handshake with their little partner. “We have chosen to work with the USU Athletics Department because of the great example the student-athletes can be to these young kids. Some of these kids may be the first in their family to attend college, so we want them to have a positive experience with these role models so that they will have that desire to get a degree,” said Cory Bowers, CEO of eFORCE Software. “This is only our second year doing the event and because of the success of it we hope to do it for years to come!” -USU-

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