Christmas is the time for giving, and a few Wilson Memorial High School softball team members participated in a team bonding experience to give back to the community by ringing The Salvation Army bell for two hours at the Waynesboro Walmart.
They raised $200 for the Waynesboro nonprofit on Saturday.
“We had nine girls who came out to represent Wilson and ring for The Salvation Army,” said head softball coach Robert Humphrey.
Humphrey, a fifth-grade teacher at Clymore Elementary School in Augusta County, said that The Salvation Army is important to him. During college, he spoke elementary education in Traverse City, Mich., and served several years as a camp counselor for the Salvation Army.
“I was able to see the good work that they do,” Humphrey said.
Humphrey said the softball team members sang Christmas songs and handed out candy to children while ringing the bell.
“I look at it as a starting point,” he said.
All of the girls were excited to help the community and Humphrey said it will be a part of the team’s bonding activities every Christmas.
“I thought it was a really good idea,” said Caylee Stevens, 15, a sophomore at Wilson Memorial who has played softball since eighth grade. “It was really good for us to get together prior to the [softball] season.”
This was Caylee’s first experience volunteering, and she said she enjoyed giving back to the community. She looks forward to more volunteer opportunities, including the softball team helping Habitat for Humanity in the spring.
Saturday’s experience also inspired her to volunteer outside of the softball team and help the community.
“I think it’s definitely a bigger thing for me now and as I’ve gotten older,” she said of volunteering. Caylee added that it’s good for everyone to volunteer.
“I love that I can help the people who need it,” Caylee said.
Kailyn Ketchum, 17, is a senior and has been on the softball team since eighth grade.
“I was actually really excited,” she said of when Coach Humphrey suggested the team ring the bell for The Salvation Army.
Kailyn has participated in fundraisers and enjoys working with others to give back to the community. She volunteers with YoungLife where she helps with children with special needs.
“I think it’s really fun just to see smiles on their faces,” Kailyn said.
Although she’ll be out of college next year, she said Humphrey should make ringing The Salvation Army bell a tradition for softball team members every Christmas. She would like to come back and ring the bell with her former teammates.
On Saturday, they set up a speaker, sang Christmas songs and made hot chocolate.
“I hope that more girls come out [to volunteer],” Kailyn said. In a way, she is sad that the tradition of volunteering did not begin until her last year on the team. It’s a “great way to team bond.”
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Rebecca Barnabi
