Madelene Sagstrom, the 2016 Epson Player of the Year, loves Baton Rouge. She made one visit to the city when deciding on a college and that’s all she needed. After four years of college, she decided to stay in Baton Rouge during her rookie season on the Epson Tour.
Was it a culture change from her small-town of Enkoping, Sweden? Yes. But she’s talked on numerous occasions this year about how living and going to school in Baton Rouge really shaped her.
For winning the Epson Player of the Year and the Epson Swift Award, given annually to the player that finishes at the top of the Volvik Race for the Card money list, Epson made a $2,000 donation to the charity of her choice. She selected Live 2 Serve, a non-profit in Baton Rouge that organizes different programs for poverty-stricken kids.
While in college at LSU, Madelene used to volunteer and go visit the kids. Now, she had a chance to make an impact with a donation.
When Sagstrom found out she had a chance to make a donation, she knew exactly where it was going.
"Live 2 Serve has really helped me put the world around me in perspective,” said Sagstrom. "The kindness and joy this organization brings to the children and community is truly inspiring. The volunteers are mostly students from LSU and their involvement in the organization helps them to grow by giving back and serving. They have helped me to understand how important a small gesture can be for someone and I'm so thankful to be able to give something back to them. What Live 2 Serve has given me is unforgettable and I will continue to give back and serve the community around me.”
Sagstrom has had a whirlwind last several weeks. She finished the 2016 season in the Orlando, flew to New York City for her #SagstromInNYC media tour, flew to California for a fitting at Callaway and then made it back to Baton Rouge in time to volunteer at Live 2 Serve and present the organization with the check on Wednesday.
Live 2 Serve reaches Baton Rouge students and those living in poverty in the Baton Rouge area. Using students of Baton Rouge as volunteers, Live 2 Serve goes into poverty-filled areas of Baton Rouge and ministers to families by providing different programs. Some of these programs include but are not limited to: Live 2 Play, Live 2 Build, Live 2 Pray, Live 2 Build, and Homeless Ministries. Live 2 Serve also participates in food drives, Back-to-School school supply distributions, and also a Christmas Giveaway.
For more information about Live 2 Serve, visit http://www.live2servebr.org.