Women's Soccer Makes, Sells Blankets To Benefit ACLU

As the COVID-19 pandemic moved from the spring into the summer, the isolation that came from the corresponding lockdown on sports and college life was taking its toll on the mental and emotional state of many of the members of the Ashland University women's soccer team.
 
Suddenly pulled away from their teammates in the middle of their spring season, head coach Taylor Clarke organized the team into three groups that would stay connected virtually and focus on accomplishing a goal.
 
"We asked them to first come up with things we stand for as a team, who we are and what we represent," said Clarke. "Then we asked each group to find ways they can implement those ideas and positively affect others."
 
One of those groups wanted to put together a fundraiser making blankets that would be sold with proceeds going to a worthy organization, but they were not sure which organization to benefit.
 
Around the time the group that involved Bria Meisse, Makenzie Kelly, Faith Lewis, Abby Grzetic, Hannah Lee and Alli Gray was coming closer to making a decision, the country witnessed the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota, sparking nationwide protests that brought to light racial and social tensions across the country.
 
It spurned the team into action. They chose to give their proceeds to the American Civil Liberties Union to help the organization take significant racial inequality cases to state and federal courts, as well as provide education and empowerment to the public on ways to combat the racial inequality that dominates African-American communities.
 
"The ACLU specifically attempts to educate and empower people at the grassroots level and this really connected with me," said Meisse, who is working toward a political science degree with the goal of working as a lobbyist.
 
"If we wish to see a positive change in the future in regard to racial tensions, we have to start by educating and empowering the generation that will be leading our country in the future," she said.
 
Each blanket was made and tied with fabrics and embroidered with the AU women's soccer logo with the rest of the team helping with publicity for the fundraiser.
 
"Blankets give a feeling of warmth, comfort and safety," said Meisse. "Our fans will be able to bring the blankets to our games and hopefully more people would see and learn about the meaning of the blankets and this would help to continue to spread awareness that our team is more than that. We take pride in using our platforms to create the positive change we wish to see."
 
The team was able to make their modest donation to the ACLU a couple of weeks ago. Clarke challenges his team to make a difference in the community and they took that to heart.

"Purpose is an important concept within our program," he said. "'What is it that needs doing, that I know something about, that probably won't happen unless I take responsibility for it?' We talk about this quote a lot. To see it come to life within our team, especially for this cause, was really special."
 
"Even though our contribution was small in the overall perspective, we genuinely hope as a team that our efforts will not only progress the fight for racial justice, but also that we inspire and encourage others to use their own voices toward the changes they wish to see in the world," said Meisse. "We don't want to be remembered as just soccer players, but instead we want to be remembered as the soccer players that never backed down from an opportunity to affect the world in a way far greater than ourselves."