SAN FRANCISCO – While assisting in six separate events in the fall, the Academy of Art University baseball team ended the semester with nearly 500 hours of community service.
 
"We are very proud of the efforts spearheaded by assistant coach Charlie Henderson during the fall semester," said head baseball coach Dan McDermott. "The players were involved in a wide variety of activities that were mutually beneficial to all participants."
 
The first event the team assisted with was the Friends of San Francisco Public Library Book Sale. There, the Urban Knights spent several hours at the Fort Mason Center Pavilion assisting with the organization of their annual event. Proceeds of the sale went to education and literary services within the San Francisco Public Library System.
 
Next, the team made a stop at the annual Bridge-to-Bridge run which donates to the Special Olympics of Northern California. At the Marina Green, players and coaches helped monitor the course while assisting with crowd control.
 
At their third event of the fall, several members of the program travelled to Antioch to aid with the grand opening of the Kangazoom Sport Center. There, the team worked alongside former major leaguers Jeffrey Leonard and Eric Davis to conduct baseball clinics for local little leaguers.
 
At their next stop, ART U Baseball helped with the Peralta Community College Field Beautification project, assisting in the landscaping of several parts of Laney College's Campus. Their duties included: several hours of picking up trash and pulling weeds, while raking and composting leaves.
 
For their second-to-last event of the year, the team volunteered at the Run Wild San(ta) Francisco, a five-kilometer open race at Crissy Field. Similar to the Bridge-to-Bridge run, players helped serve as crowd-control and course-monitors while also assisting with the setting up and breaking down of the holiday run.
 
At their most recent volunteer opportunity, the Urban Knights attended the San Francisco Firefighters Toy Drive for the third-consecutive year. This event is one of the largest of its nature in the nation and provides the community with food, toys, clothing, and cheer during the holiday season. The players assisted with the organization of hundreds of toys in the warehouse, created Christmas cards, constructed gift bags, and helped parents choose gifts for their children.
 
"The goal of community service is to provide a worthwhile benefit for a greater cause while at the same time, promoting an attitude of service to others within our own team," said McDermott. "As a department, we challenge our athletes to develop a life-long habit of demonstrating gratitude through volunteer activities."
 
The baseball program returns from winter break on January 10 to resume practice for their first game on February 2. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. at home against Cal State East Bay.