The Warrior Volleyball team took a day off from pre-season practice this past Saturday to lend a helping hand.  The team spent the morning and afternoon volunteering at Helping Hands of Clemson, Inc. Thrift Store.

Helping Hands was organized in the 1980’s by a few ladies at Clemson University.  The purpose of Helping Hands is to bring in abused and neglected children to a home where they can receive care and love.  These children are plugged into local schools and churches.  The children are kept at the Helping Hands home for about three months before they are placed in a foster home. 

Following the establishment of Helping Hands, the Thrift Store was started with just a group of volunteers.  The store sells items like clothes, books, and household items at very reasonable prices.  The store runs with just one paid employee, Sandy Busch, who manages the store.  Many of the other workers are volunteers, including Sandy’s husband Jerry, and local students working on projects.  The majority of the store’s proceeds are given to Helping Hands of Clemson, Inc.

The team performed a variety of tasks during the day including sorting clothes and shoes, organizing the book library, hanging clothes, dusting, sweeping, mopping, and cleaning windows.

Junior Michelle Hayes said, “Instead of coming together and working on the volleyball court, we came together to serve at Helping Hands and help meet other people’s needs. 

Newcomers Michelle Outlaw and Kaitlin Wolfe also reflected on what the day meant to them.  “It’s a privilege to give up some free time to help out here and in turn, help out some kids,” said Outlaw.  Wolfe added, “What we did here today were several simple acts, such as organizing books, but these simple acts will have a significant impact on people who shop at this store and the children who will benefit from the store’s proceeds.”

The Warriors pre-season practice will continue the next two weeks before they open their season at the Anderson University Tournament on Friday, August 24 at 5 p.m.