When under the spotlight on the court or in the field, athletes are considered role models, people who others compare themselves to and aspire to be like.

Eastern athletes not only want to be role models in the sport they play, but also in the community in which they live.

“I think it’s important to run an all around program,” said Brady Sallee, women’s basketball head coach. “We need to get it done in academics, on the court and in the community.”

The women’s basketball team, by having a community volunteer project each month, is one of the several Eastern athletic teams who do “get it done” in the community.

Something almost all of the athletic teams have participated in is volunteering at the area schools by reading stories to the students, giving speeches to the students or helping the students raise money through different fund raisers they participate in.

“With their practices and events they’re in, (student athletes) may not realize that they aren’t just providing entertainment for the fans; they’re providing a good role model for the children in the area,” said David Carey, Carl Sandburg middle school principal. “I think it really benefits the athletes to see just how much of an impact they have.”

Carey said Eastern athletes from just about every sport have volunteered at Carl Sandburg’s “Jump, Jive and Jog-a-thon,” where the middle school students sought pledges for the student council and the school store.

“The students really connect with the athletes when they come over,” Carey said. “(The athletes) are great ambassadors to the students, and they provide the opportunity for the kids to see what it’s like to grow up into a big, strong college athlete.”

The athletes’ volunteering goals, however, exceed the limits of the Charleston and Mattoon area. Some of Eastern’s athletic teams have fund raised or volunteered with national organizations, such as the “Muscular Dystrophy Association” and “Points for Prevention,” which raises money for the fight against breast cancer.

Most recently, this past September, the women’s soccer team worked for a three-week period to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The team had a “lock up” at E.L. Krackers and raised a total of over $1,700, which will mainly go toward research, health care services and education of muscular dystrophy.

“(Volunteering) is something where you go and do something for others; it’s not about self at all,” said women’s soccer head coach Steve Ballard.

And with volunteering, an appreciation for life is developed, said Eastern softball head coach Lloydene Searle.

“Anytime you help someone it makes you feel good as a person,” she said. “I think it certainly generates as to being a better team player as well.”

Megan Sparks, a junior Eastern women’s basketball player, agreed.

“It’s great seeing the team come together to give back to the community,” Sparks said. “I definitely think it’s a big impact on team unity because team members can actually be themselves, and you get to know each other better, which ultimately brings the whole team together.”