Giving your time, energy, and efforts to help those less fortunate is a very selfless and rewarding act, but it is something that very few of us do often. University of the Cumberlands cheerleader Amy Shemwell (Trenton, KY), however, plans to spend her time after graduation participating in various outreach projects to benefit area communities.

Shemwell is currently a junior at UC and plans to graduate in 2009 with a degree in Public Health and a minor in Social Work. During the last three years, she has participated in numerous activities on campus, such as being a member of the Patriot cheerleading squad and serving as a Senator, Chief of Staff, and Attorney General for the Student Government Association. She has also served as a Star for UC's Insights program for two years, as well as the vice-president and president for Asher Hall's House Council. Yet, it is her desire to serve others that has affected her the most.

Cumberlands' Mountain Outreach program has been one of the key organizations that have allowed Shemwell to live out her passion. Mountain Outreach is a student service club that is dedicated to building and repairing homes for area families that live in poverty and lives by the Bible verse, "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain," which is found in Psalm 127.

"Mountain Outreach is a wonderful program," exclaims Shemwell. "As college students, we are constantly searching for who we are and what we want to do. Mountain Outreach helped me figure all that out. It made me realize my best place of service and how I can give back to others less fortunate the most of myself."

During spring break in 2007, Shemwell worked with Mountain Outreach in Lynch, Kentucky at a facility for disadvantaged and disabled children. "Each of us worked with the horses at the facility to help get them ready for the children that came to the farm," states Shemwell.

She also decided to stay at school during the summer of 2007 to participate in the Mountain Outreach summer project of constructing and repairing area homes. "We were able to build three new houses from the ground up and also helped repair numerous others," added Shemwell. "We built wheelchair ramps at many houses and also repaired roofs that had been damaged."

Shemwell thoroughly enjoyed each of these projects, but it was the relationships that she made during the experience that has truly touched her. "I have formed a very close friendship with one of the ladies that we built a house for last summer," comments Shemwell. "A few of us actually went to visit her the other day. She is an unbelievable individual that has greatly impacted each of us. She treats me like one of her own and I hope that we are able to continue our friendship for many years to come."

Mountain Outreach has had a major impact on Shemwell during her time at UC and has helped her realize that she wants to continue to reach out to the surrounding community and help as many individuals as she can. "There are so many local communities that I hope to reach out to," explains Shemwell. "Why not put my college education to use and outreach through health education by trying to teach local neighborhoods the importance of good health and nutrition."

It is evident that Amy Shemwell is not only a dedicated and committed athlete, but a great individual. She has touched the lives of so many people through all of her various community service activities and can only hope to touch many more in the future.

Article Provided by Kim Hamby, University of the Cumberlands Sports Information Student Assistant