The College of San Mateo football program is proud to announce the 1st Annual San Mateo Park Cleanup Day. The Cleanup event will take place at Seal Point/San Mateo Creek in San Mateo on Friday, August 14, from 9 am to noon. The Cleanup is a volunteer activity, bringing more than 100 student-athlete volunteers to the park and bay shoreline to remove debris, trash and weeds.

At a time when most college football players are preparing for games, the CSM football players are taking time out from training camp with the spirit of learning how to tackle life issues and giving back to the community. The student-athletes are taking the lead in making athletes aware of their civic responsibility. Many times football players are not perceived as people with a lot of social awareness and social conscientiousness, but the Bulldog football team is working hard to change that view.

The Cleanup Day is part of an ongoing Life Skills Development program run by the CSM coaching staff. The program focuses on life skills such as leadership, goal setting, and mentoring, with the aim of helping the athletes to win on and off the field. Other components of the program involve ongoing development workshops and a speaker series.

The Cleanup Day will be followed by an afternoon speaker, Commander Todd Wilson of the U.S. Navy, who is flying in to speak to the players about teamwork and accountability. Last year, the CSM football players also participated in Senator Leland Yee’s Men against Domestic Violence White Ribbon Campaign. CSM’s goal is to help the Bulldog student-athletes grow to become good citizens and positive role models in society.