BOONE, N.C. — App State Wrestling ranked No. 4 among the nation's Division I programs in community service for the 2019-20 academic year based on hours recorded by the Helper Helper platform.
Helper Helper documents service hours for hundreds of NCAA schools and is the official partner for NCAA Team Works. The top five wrestling programs listed for 2019-20 are Bucknell, Michigan, Michigan State, App State and Pittsburgh.
The Mountaineers totaled 580 hours of service. The volunteer opportunities included joining forces with a local teenager who became a member of App State's wrestling program through Team IMPACT, participating in a cancer fundraiser, packing shoe boxes for Samaritan's Purse, reading to local elementary school students on Read Across America Day and working with an equine hospital.
"Our program is committed to serving others and helping in our community," App State head coach
JohnMark Bentley said. "It stems from our core belief that everything matters."
During the 2019-20 preseason, App State coaches and wrestlers officially welcomed Team IMPACT teammate Nate Brown to the program in a signing ceremony. Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit foundation that connects children with chronic illnesses to local college athletic teams, leading Bentley to say, "I expect him to make as much of an impact on our wrestlers' and coaching staffs' lives as we do his. We're thankful for this tremendous opportunity."
Brown often sat with App State's coaches and wrestlers during home duals in Varsity Gym, and the Mountaineers made trips to see Brown's team at Ashe County High School wrestle.
About Helper Helper
Helper Helper is an app and web portal that makes it simple for institutions to track hours and coordinate community service opportunities. Former University of Michigan basketball player Krista Clement founded Helper Helper to simplify the volunteer process for students and help them create a lasting impact within their communities. Helper Helper works with over 350 colleges and universities, including a partnership with all of NCAA Division II and NCAA Team Works™. For more information on Helper Helper, visit www.HelperHelper.com or follow them on Twitter (@HelperHelperApp).
