One Big Team! Florida Southern Athletics Jump to Help Free Methodist Senior Community
 
A community nestled just north of Lakeland, Light & Life Park has been living in much destruction and devastation after Hurricane Milton blew through Polk County on October 10, 2024.
 
A 55 and over Methodist Park for senior living, Light & Life Park of 5604 Deeson Road, Lakeland, Fla. 33810, has been hit hard by flooding and catastrophe. A place where members share similar beliefs and living styles now struggle with pulling pieces together to repair and replace lost items and destroyed mobile homes, Florida Southern College Athletics noticed a need in their community.
 
As a continued way to give back to the community, Florida Southern College Athletics prides itself on the amount of community service hours all 26 intercollegiate programs do on a yearly basis, the department sent out a list of possible community service options for clean-up, removal of debris, or any general needs held after Hurricane Milton. Head Coach of the Moccasins baseball team, Rick O'Dette and his staff traded in the clay and dirt in the outfield for the wet and soggy aftermath of all homes being a loss from the rain and wind in the Light & Life Park in Lakeland, Fla.
 
Coach O'Dette said "I have done a lot of community service events in my time as a head coach, and after doing some you just feel okay, I checked the box, got the team out there in the community and that was a nice thing. But going to Light & Life Park and seeing what these folks are going through and being able to lend a legit hand to clean up, and move things for them, I had to step back and take a deep breath."
 
The baseball team was the first of the Mocs to travel out to the community, but not shortly after Head Coach Kara Reber of FSC Women's Lacrosse and Head Coach Marty Ward of FSC Men's Lacrosse took their 45-plus roster teams out to help as well.
 
Under the guidance of Director of Athletics Drew Howard and an inspiring idea from Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator Jill Stephens, the duo at the top of the staff decided to plan to have a more focused target to the Light & Life Park to help the 55 and over community clean up, repair and try to get on the right path.
 
The next large group is slated to go Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. with shifts over the next week Nov. 11-15, much that the Mocs see, and hope will carry on until Light & Life Park is back up and running safely and comfortably for the people that live there.
 
In efforts to clean up, volunteers can suit up in hazmat suits and head under homes and pull old insulation, wood, or any debris out from under heavily affected mobile homes or you can volunteer to do things with a mask and gloves in comfortable clothing inside to gut the houses effected from the water.
 
If you or anyone you know would like to get in touch with Light & Life Park to go volunteer time or resources to clean up and get this community back up and running or find out other ways to contribute to help all efforts, contact Pastor Jeff Bellinger at (716) 720-0387.
 

Men's Lacrosse student-athletes helping clean up Light & Life Park in HazMat Personal Protective Equipment.

 

Women's Lacrosse student-athletes helping clean up Light & Life Park