Community donates 9,591 bottles of water for Flint
Junior guard Jasmine Harris and the Central Michigan women’s basketball team made a pledge to the Mount Pleasant community last weekend, urging them to help with the Flint water crisis.
This weekend, the community responded by donating 9,591 bottles of water during CMU’s game against Miami (Ohio), which the Chippewas won 77-54.
“It feels really good,” Harris said. “It’s the best feeling knowing that we’re really going to help people and I’m so happy with the community support and the way everybody responded. It’s amazing and I’m so thankful for that.”
This is not the first time the Chippewas contributions have gone beyond basketball. The team raised food for the Mount Pleasant community during its ‘Hoops for Hunger’ game as well as annual 'Diaper Dandy' game, where they collected diapers for infants in the community.
“I think people are hungry to help, sometimes they just need some direction,” said Head Coach Sue Guevara. “If you look at the initiatives we have had, that’s all coming from the community. We just happen to believe in it.”
Men’s basketball Head Coach Keno Davis was wearing tennis shoes for Saturday’s game for the Coaches versus Cancer initiative.
“Bringing attention to it is the focus of this week,” Davis said. “It’s all of our jobs, whoever we are, to be able to have our attention to that and now how can we all do our part and make sure this awareness takes another step forward because it touches all of us.”
Guevara noted sports teams often use their platform to bring awareness to issues greater than sports.
“Look at athletics throughout the country now and what teams are doing to make a statement and how we as athletes and coaches can help people in need,” she said. “I think people want to help.”
Harris used the fundraiser as extra motivation against Miami (Ohio). She led CMU with 17 points and shot 6-for-9 from the field including five 3-pointers.
“I talked to myself a little bit like, ‘You can’t just not score this game, you gotta to do something,’” Harris said.
The Farmington Hills native brought up the idea to Guevara after hearing from friends of hers from Flint about the severity of the situation.
“I had friends telling me that their family members didn’t have water in Flint and that the water was staining the bathtubs in their homes,” Harris said. “When I realized how big of a problem it was, that’s when I knew I wanted to do something, and that I could help by using my platform as an athlete to do so.”
Guevara said teaching her players how to be more than just athletes has always fallen on her shoulders.
“It’s my job to make sure that when they leave here, they care about life,” Guevara said. “That they’re confident women and that they’re willing to help once they leave here. It’s not just basketball.”
People who donated water received a voucher good for future women’s or men’s basketball games for the duration of the season. Cash donations were also collected.
The team is discussing options for personally delivering the water to Flint.
“I think if we open (a discussion) about who wants to take the water to Flint, I think you’ll find that 14 out of 14 girls (on the roster) are going to want to take that trip,” Harris said.
