COLUMBIA, Ky. - Lindsey Wilson University's intercollegiate athletics program is one of the most successful in the country.

But Blue Raider student-athletes and coaches were not counting runs, points or goals on Friday, Nov. 21. Instead, they were focused on the success and impact of collecting 384 shoeboxes that contained hygiene items, school supplies and toys for disadvantaged children.

The shoeboxes will be shipped to children in need around the world, part of Operation Christmas Child. Operation Christmas Child is an annual project coordinated by Samaritan's Purse, a nondenominational Christian organization founded in 1970 that provides spiritual and physical aid to people all over the world.

"It means a lot to me," said Seth Phillips, a graduate student from Clarksville, Tennessee, who is also a tight end on the LWU football team. "Just being able to give back to people who are less fortunate means a lot to me. I'll never know them, but at least I know they'll be OK."

The Lindsey Wilson Athletics Department has been part of the worldwide effort since 2013, collecting during that time more than 6,500 total boxes as part of Columbia-Adair County's participation in Operation Christmas Child. The exception was in 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's such a great opportunity for our student-athletes to give back," said Lindsey Wilson Associate Athletics Director Chris Wells '01. "They get so much support from our community, and this is one way they can show their gratitude -- by supporting one of Adair County's major philanthropic projects. Our student-athletes are excited about taking part in it every year. They expect to do it every year, and that's a really good thing."

Wells said the activity also gives the university's more than 800 student-athletes who are part of 29 varsity teams a chance for another win -- albeit in a different way.

"We're fortunate at Lindsey Wilson to have so many things, and we are so successful on the field and in the classroom," he said. "Being able to give back like this is just another one."

Operation Christmas Child has also become a popular social event for Blue Raider student-athletes, who make group trips to area stores to purchase supplies and hold packing parties on campus to fill the special shoeboxes. On the football team, players of each position group come together to pack shoeboxes and socialize.

Wide receiver Simon Keating of Newport, Kentucky, said the annual event gives him a bit of a break from classes and football during the fall.

"I feel like the fact that we don't have time for anything else during this time of year gives us a chance to give back, even during our season," he said. "It is an amazing thing."

Linebacker Lou Burchfield, a graduate student from Maryville, Tennessee, said participating in Operation Christmas Child helps build camaraderie among teammates while supporting one of the football program's larger goals.

"We talk all the time in our program about being men of character. I think this truly exemplifies that to a T," said Burchfield. "Our coaches talk all the time about how they're trying to raise men of character, and I think this is one of the best ways they can do that. We can learn something from it."