Feb. 14, 2017
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Vanderbilt junior Kara Lucenti was named to the 2017 SEC Women’s Swimming & Diving Community Service Team, the conference announced Monday.
Lucenti has worked with many organizations within the community this past year. She has volunteered at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, Guardian Hospice Center, and the VA Hospital by visiting patients.
The Kenilworth, Ill. native is a den and program leader at the Center for Courageous Kids. The center is a not for profit medical camping facility that hosts free weekend camps for children and their families.
Lucenti assisted in the Play It Safe Initiative put on by the Student-Athlete Advisory Council. They held a water safety initiative at athletic events throughout the year to help educate both the Vanderbilt Athletic and Nashville communities. The initiative partnered with the Children’s Hospital, USA Swimming and various swim lesson organizations.
She was also a charter member of Love Your Melon, which is an organization that sells hats and clothing to help raise money for cancer research. Additionally, the organization provides hats to be delivered to children diagnosed with cancer at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
This past summer, Lucenti had a volunteer internship at the Fenix Family Health Center in Chicago. The clinic serves uninsured Hispanic immigrants in the Cook County area. She spent over 150 hours taking vitals, running labs, participating in patient education, helping with grants and providing administrative assistance.
Lucenti was also the point person for the Vanderbilt swim team’s partnership with Team IMPACT and Audrey Williams. Team IMPACT is a national organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team. Last weekend, the Commodores held a “Draft Day” press conference where Audrey signed her National Letter of Intent to join the Vanderbilt swim team.
The Vanderbilt swim team is currently in Knoxville for the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships. For continuing coverage and updates, check back with vucommodores.com, @Vanderbiltswim on Twitter, or Vanderbilt Swimming on Facebook.