The FPD softball season is underway is with that comes the fourth year of FPD senior Karsen Ochs’s annual Strike Out Hunger challenge. Karsen’s amazing talents on the mound are well known. However, she’s not just striking out batters for a Lady Vikings’ win; with each strike she is also raising money for the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank.
Family and friends pledge a donation per strikeout or a flat donation. At the end of the season, Karsen collects the pledged money and donates it. Over the past three years she has raised almost $15,000. Now it comes down to her senior year! We wanted to touch base with Karsen as she enters her final season playing for the Vikings.
What inspired you to start this mission?
I found myself wanting to use my gifts and talents to help my community. Doing so on a softball field is a challenge, so I had to get creative and decided to raise money for a good cause. One of my old softball friends was dealing with an eating disorder around the beginning of my freshman year and I wanted to honor her, so I donated all of the money raised to the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank.
Why do you think it’s an important cause?
The Middle Georgia Community Food Bank is an amazing organization. They effectively use every dollar from donations. For every $1 they are able to make about 5 meals. Not knowing where your next meal is coming from is a tough hand to be dealt, so if I can make things easier on someone, then it is an important cause to me.
What is your goal for this year?
My “goal” for this year is to let go and let God. In the past year and a half of my life, letting go has been a huge theme to me. Whether it’s letting go of all my anxieties, worries, daily struggles, or any situation I’ve been presented with, I have seen God’s presence in any and every situation.
What have you learned over the past three years through this mission?
I have learned that He has his hands in everything, and there is no gift too small or too large. Every dollar and every prayer helps in some way. We don’t know what others are going through, but we have the ability to make things easier or better on them.
Thoughts about this year’s softball season?
It is so hard for me to believe that it is my last year. Earlier in my career, I never imagined how fast this day would come. I am striving to make it the best year yet; I know that sounds cliché, but I am trying to make this year enjoyable for everyone around me and show my teammates the love of Christ. My goal is to leave everything I have on the field and lead the team to the best of my ability
Favorite Bible Verse:
Matthew 10:31 “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
You can find more information about Karsen’s mission on her Strike Out Hunger with Karsen Ochs Facebook page