Troi Swain, a junior point guard for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns women’s basketball team, understands how the generosity of others can help following a disaster.
Swain, whose family home in Austin was damaged by fire several years ago, was among several dozen UL Lafayette student-athletes who helped unload donated supplies on Monday.
The supplies, to assist the University with flood relief efforts, were collected and delivered by officials from the University of South Alabama, which is in Mobile. Residents of that city and the surrounding area, at the urging of South Alabama officials, donated items such as clothes and shoes, toiletries, cleaning supplies, non-perishable food, bottles of drinking water and blankets.
“I know what it’s like to experience tragedy, so I was glad to lend a hand,” Swain said, at a freight dock at UL Lafayette’s Student Union. Student-athletes from several Ragin’ Cajun teams moved supplies from trucks and then carted them to a storage area inside the building.
The donated items had been collected for about six days. They filled one 18-wheeler and four smaller “box” trucks. South Alabama Jaguar student-athletes helped to collect and load the supplies in Mobile.
School administrators and members of the school’s athletics staff delivered half of the donated supplies to Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, La., on Monday. The other half was dropped off at UL Lafayette.
Scott Farmer, UL Lafayette’s director of Athletics, called the generosity of South Alabama heartwarming.
“It’s incredible that in our community’s time of need, their fan base, the Jag Nation, stepped up to support us. One truck would have been phenomenal, but they sent several,” said Farmer, who helped Ragin’ Cajun student-athletes unload the supplies.
Joel Erdmann, South Alabama’s director of Athletics, helped deliver and unload the supplies. He said South Alabama officials decided during a staff meeting last Monday to help UL Lafayette and Southeastern.
The Ragin’ Cajuns and the Jaguars are members of the Sun Belt Conference. However, any rivalry between the two schools ends on the playing field, he said. “When we thought of ways we could help areas affected by the recent flood, UL Lafayette immediately came to mind because of our conference affiliation. We’ve got great relationships between our coaches and administrators.”
Margarita Perez, UL Lafayette dean of students, said University officials hope to have a decision by Tuesday as to how to best distribute the supplies.
“We will start with members of the UL community who have been impacted by the recent flood, then send any extra supplies, if there are any, to the local community,” Perez said.
Photo: Student-athletes at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette unloaded supplies delivered by the University of South Alabama Monday afternoon to UL Lafayette’s Student Union. Credit: Doug Dugas/University of Louisiana at Lafayette