As a dominating force on the U. Kansas women’s basketball team with a strong GPA, senior center Krysten Boogaard has accomplished what she left her native country of Canada to do. But this summer, she will pursue another ambition.
The women’s basketball team will hold a collection drive from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday between Allen Fieldhouse and Hoglund Ballpark to benefit the Willow Domestic Violence Center. The idea for the drive came from a class project Boogaard participated in last semester.
“We had to find a non-profit organization that we wanted to help,” Boogaard said. “The more I started going there, the more I noticed that the shelter really needed more help.”
Boogaard helped by painting the walls and participating in fundraisers, but she said she still felt that wasn’t enough. She said her group was only able to do so much, but felt her team would be able to help further.
“She came up to me after the completion of the project, insisting that they needed more and asked what we could put together,” said Trena Anderson, director of women’s basketball operations.
Anderson contacted the center and organized the event to collect donations the center might need.
“We’ll be collecting anything and everything you can imagine a normal house needing: clothing, food, money donations, whatever people are willing to give,” Boogaard said. “It’s important to get the community involved in helping their efforts.”
Any money collected at the event will be used to buy the dinners the shelter provides to battered women and their children.
“The shelter holds about 20 to 25 women at max capacity and a lot of the time women have to bring their children with them,” Boogaard said. “So you can imagine, that’s a lot of mouths to feed.”
Sophomore guard Angel Goodrich said she appreciated the leadership Boogaard has shown both on and off the court.
“We’re a team that likes to get involved in giving back to the community and she has helped start a big opportunity for us to help women,” Goodrich said.
Goodrich said this was an example of the positive and caring role Boogaard filled as a team leader.
“If she were to see someone who needed anything, she’d be right there,” Goodrich said. “She’s just always thinking that.”