CeCe Marizu and the Fighting Illini

Student Athletes Raise Funds for Kenya

CeCe Marizu’s senior swimming season didn’t end the greatest way. Her Illini finished last in the Big Ten, and she finished 24th in the 200 backstroke. 

However, as important as swimming is to her, that’s not how she is going to— or wants to be— remembered. She will instead be remembered as the winner of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award and co-founder of a nonprofit organization, Student Athletes Leading Social Change (SALSC).

 “I knew that when I came here, I wanted to be more than just a student-athlete,” Marizu said. “We, as student-athletes, have the potential to make such a big difference in the world.” 

SALSC is a program led by Jeff Janssen, a nationally renowned leadership expert who works with student-athletes across the nation. The organization is for student-athletes to network with each other across the country to plan charitable events and initiatives when not competing. 

“It’s very important for athletes to be well-rounded,” Janssen said. “One statistic is that of college athletes, 99 percent of them do something other than make it to the pros. They need to be prepared for the real world.” 

This past summer, Marizu, along with student-athletes from across the nation, helped recruit and select members for the group. The group now has close to 50 student-athletes, with five from Illinois. 

“I knew that CeCe would be a great person for this program because not only does she have family, but she has natural leadership skills and a willingness to help others,” Janssen said.

Marizu worked with students from other schools to find enthusiastic members for SALSC and to select a social change initiative for the group to take on. The group will work to support a different initiative every year. This year’s initiative is to promote education in Kenyan villages and help them move out of poverty. The primary mission of the “Adopt a Village” project is to provide villagers with schools, clean water and alternative income sources. 

A select group of student-athletes will travel to Kenya from July 3-12. In Kenya, the volunteers will work side by side with the Maasai tribe to build the schools. 

“I think that the cause in Kenya is really great,” said Megan Fudge, senior tennis player and SALSC member. “I feel a personal attachment to helping third-world countries because they really need us.” 

 The UI chapter of SALSC is hoping to send three student-athletes to Kenya. Its primary source of raising money was through Jock Jams, a student-athlete talent show which took place on Feb. 24.

“It was a lot of hard work to put on this event,” Marizu said. “We are student-athletes, but it’s not like we’re Ron Zook, or Bruce Weber or Mike Tisdale. We don’t have the same type of influences. But we are still able to make a difference.” 

Around 1,000 tickets were sold for Jock Jams, allowing two students to go to Kenya. A third student could also make the trip with further fund-raising. More information can be found and donations for SALSC can be made at SALSC.org.

Article written by Emily Bacyi. Click here to view the original article at The Daily Illini.

Angela Bizzarri, of the women’s cross country team, dances on stage during Illini Jock Jams held in Huff Hall on Wednesday. The event, hosted by SALSC, raised money for “Adopt a Village” and will support aid in Kenya.

Brad Meyer The Daily Illini