Harrisburg pitches in for Haiti

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Hard work is not limited to the weight room or playing field for the Harrisburg High School baseball team.

A honorable humanitarian effort sparked by Beth Montfort, mother of Bulldogs first baseman Dawson Montfort, helped send five full pick-up trucks to a distribution center in Carbondale to help aid Haiti, which was struck with by a vicious earthquake on Jan. 12 and has followed with at least 50 aftershocks.

Dawson Montfort said he was happy to lend a helping hand.

"That was much more than I thought we would get. It really surprised me to see how well the community came together," Montfort said. "It's a pretty cool thing to do. It feels good to help out in the community. I think it speaks highly of athletics program here in Harrisburg."

Montfort was aided by teammates Caleb Thompson, Reid Roper, Isaac Behme, Noah King and others throughout Monday morning as the student-athletes and others helped move water and other essentials from Athletic Director Jay Thompson's office in Davenport Gymnasium to trucks waiting outside the gym.

Beth Montfort said she was happy to see the student-athletes contribute to a good cause.

"I think the boys being juniors and seniors, they need to learn that this is part of being a community, giving and helping out," Montfort said. "I think the community needs to see the baseball players as more than just athletes."