By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Bowling Green State University football players were moving stones, painting fences and helping landscape several Wood Lane Residential Services homes this week thanks to the Ziggy Collective.
The Ziggy Collective is a BGSU fan-driven, alumni-led initiative that is part of the NCAA’s Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) program. NIL allows college athletes to profit from their brand through marketing efforts where their names are tied to a product or service, or by making personal appearances, said Cal Bowers, executive director of Wood Lane Residential Services Foundation and an alumni adviser for the Ziggy Collective.
BGSU student-athletes also can get paid by helping local charitable organizations such as Wood Lane Residential Services (WLRS), which creates a win for the athletes and a win for the local nonprofits.
Bowers arranged the work sessions at four WLRS homes and the Bowling Green headquarters on Tuesday and five homes on Wednesday.
To prepare the athletes for the WLRS work, he shared the message about Wood Lane Residential at a recent team meeting. He explained the work they would do to spruce up the homes and agency that serve adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities would be valuable to the residents and the community.
Approximately 90 football players signed up to help over the two days.
“The focus is not just showing up and getting paid,” Bowers said. “It’s important for us to introduce them to the nonprofit organizations in the BG community that are making a difference. With them volunteering their time to help the nonprofits, they are making a difference in the local community.”
Being able to give back to others is significant to Odieu Hilare, a senior wide receiver on the Falcon football team. “I’ve been on the other side where people were giving back to me, so doing this feels great,” he said.
The individuals who live in the residential homes aren’t able to do the work themselves, Hilare said.
“What better way to get the heavy work done than to get a bunch of football guys to come out and be a part of their volunteer efforts to benefit the adults we serve at WLRS?” Bowers asked with a smile.
“With all of us here as a group, it’s like magic. We can get done in a few hours what might take the maintenance person days or a week to do himself,” Hilare said. “It always feels great to help someone and give back because God will bless you as well.”
Team members also participated with Dayspring Church in a community party for children. The varied community activities provide valuable experiences for the athletes.
“It’s not just, ‘Oh, we are getting paid.’ We are learning different skills and a whole lot of things about life. IT is getting us more prepared for life outside of football and teaches us how to grow as men. I love it” Hilare said.
The Ziggy Collective was established through donations from many former student-athletes and other athletics supporters, Bowers said. They have donated to the BPS Foundation, a nonprofit foundation and umbrella organization that the BGSU-focused Ziggy Collective is a part of, along with approximately 20 other universities and colleges across the country.
The Ziggy Collective donors are individuals who care about the athletic programs and the student-athletes. Through the collective, the athletes have access to opportunities for compensation that the 2021 NCAA ruling made possible. Having NIL options is also a positive for recruiting student-athletes, Bowers said.
More information about the program can be found the Ziggy Collective website and at the BPS Foundation link for BGSU. Read more about Wood Lane Residential Services at wlrs.org or follow them on social media.
