ST. PAUL, Minn. - This Wednesday, March 25, Concordia University will be taking a team of just over 100 people to help with the urgent flood relief efforts near Fargo, N.D. in the Red River Valley where experts predict flooding to be worse than the flood of 1997 which hit the 500-year flood plain. While many volunteers were need to make this a successful effort, the Concordia student-athletes stepped-up in their offseason to help fill the buses rapidly this morning.
Among the volunteers, the Concordia football team is expected to produce a near full roster while the men's basketball, women's basketball, women's soccer, cross country and track & field teams will all also be represented.
Senior women's basketball player Abby Nielsen (Maplewood, Minn.) answered the call as soon as she saw what was happening, "I saw it on Facebook this morning on a friend's profile and immediately got involved," said the three-point shooting forward. She continued, "I didn't hesitate in volunteering to help. I remember the 1997 floods and seeing all the help then. Now it's my turn to do whatever I can."
The University filled two buses on a first-come, first-served basis with the departure time of 6:00 a.m. and an expected arrival time back on campus at 9:00 p.m. The CU team of students, faculty and staff will be assisting in the preparation of sandbags at the FargoDome on the campus of North Dakota State University and also may be deployed to areas within the community to haul and place the sandbags.
"Obviously, what's happening in the Red River Valley is devastating," said athletic director Tom Rubbelke. "We will do whatever we can to help and I'm pleased that so many of our young men and women student-athletes have joined in the campus effort of service."
Concordia University is affiliated with NCAA Division II and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The athletic department sponsors 15 athletic programs and has approximately 300 student-athletes with nearly one-third committed to assisting the flood areas.
