FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood University men's tennis team recently dedicated a Saturday afternoon to community service in the Farmville area. The squad worked with Clean Virginia Waterways, a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to citizen stewardship of Virginia's water resources, to pick up trash and debris on the outskirts of the town.

“We thought it would be a good way to give back to the community since they do so much for the university itself,” said sophomore Steed Johnson/Ahoskie, N.C.

The team created a competition out of the service activity, as members of the squad competed to see who could fill their bag with the most trash by the end of the day and the student-athlete with the heaviest bag won.

“Everyone on the men's tennis team is dedicated to whatever they are doing at that moment, whether it be playing tennis, studying or helping out with the community, and I think that really showed [during this service project] with the amount of trash we cleaned up,” explained Johnson. “I couldn't ask for a better group of guys to be around.”

Johnson echoed the thoughts of his teammates in saying that the team was happy to help a town that has done so much for them.

“It is all about giving back to a community that has either helped you in some way or embraced you, and that is what Farmville has done for us,” concluded Johnson. “This town has embraced the university and supported the athletics teams in such a way that we feel obligated to give back and show our appreciation.”