Photo: Dr. Doug McIntyre, Meguell Suell, Brittany Suell
It was just a little idea, hatching out of an assignment in Dr. Doug McIntyre’s sports marketing class at Hardin-Simmons University. That little idea turned into a fundraising event with proceeds given to a local non-profit to help with breast cancer screenings. Today, the student who came up with the idea was honored for his service as a community champion.
William “Meguell” Suell, a 2010 graduate of Hardin-Simmons University, was one of the 10 community champions honored for their service to the Alliance for Women and Children during its 10th anniversary luncheon, September 27, 2012. The Abilene non-profit group empowers women with education on health and self-sufficiency, and provides a safe haven for children at its facility on North 10th Street with after-school programs.
Suell is also credited for his work as a volunteer to build a playground for the organization, and for his work on the Alliance for Women and Children website.
Two years ago, Suell led what has become an ongoing fundraiser at Hardin-Simmons. McIntyre, associate professor of business administration, asked his class to develop a marketing project that involves a team’s fans. Suell says he asked some members of the HSU baseball team for some input and the ideas started flowing. The class assignment turned into a senior class project and fundraiser.
The event is billed annually as Cowboys for the Cure, where marketing students and members of the HSU baseball team and softball team get together to sponsor a softball tournament during October, which is Breast Cancer Prevention Awareness Month.
Teams are made up of nine to 15 students, each paying $10 per player to compete. The team that wins the tournament plays the HSU baseball team in a game of softball.
Businesses and individuals contribute cash and prizes that can be won during the game, and activities between the innings give fans a chance to win donated gift cards. The games are open to anyone who wants to put together a team, and anyone who wants to come and watch.
Suell was so inspired by the organizations’ cause that the very next semester, he volunteered as a marketing intern to help with the playground construction and revamped the organization’s website. Even though he has now graduated, he continues to volunteer his time to the organization.
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Suell is employed as the program director for Leadership International, a non-profit group in Abilene that helps families overseas obtain quality education at Christian institutions in the United States. Leadership International offers scholarships, homestay services for high school students, leadership development, cross-culture transition coaching, and university internship connections with Christian partners.