School of Business and Public Management Donates to Mariner Softball

A huge thank you to the School of Business and Public Management (SBPM) for their donation to the Mariner Softball Team.

In November 2021, the College held its annual Giving Tuesday event to raise funds for various areas on campus. At the time of the campaign, no funds were raised for travel attire for Mariner Softball. Softball players Hayley Dickerson and Gabi Merced decided to do a fundraiser for the travel attire—sweatshirts and sweatpants—and they were successful. Although the team was able to get what they needed, the SBPM still wanted to show their support, and learned that the team could use travel shorts as well. SBPM faculty and staff collaborated and decided to take on the challenge. Not only was enough raised to give each player two pairs of travel shorts, but there were extra funds to purchase the team catcher’s equipment and an abundance of softballs. SBPM truly went to bat for the team.

Instructor of Management and Leadership Dr. Ray Stephens took the lead in the school’s effort to raise funds for the team.

“The faculty and staff of the SBPM are more than a department or a school within the college—we are a family. Just as families look out for, and take care of, each other, they also spread that passion for helping to others,” Stephens said. “With that mindset, we found an opportunity to purchase traveling shorts for each player individually to commemorate their experiences at the College, as well as equipment for this year’s team and those to come. It was our privilege to showcase this year’s outstanding team and promote our emphasis on how we do Business.”