BILLINGS, Mont. – Part of the NCAA Division II mission is “Life in the Balance,” and the Montana State University Billings women's soccer players added to their balanced lives on January 14 when they got even more involved in their local community by helping out with the Montana Outfitters & Guides Association (MOGA) at the “Big Hearts under the Big Sky” event.
 
MOGA's mission is to provide high-quality outdoor trips to a wide variety of individuals who otherwise might not have the opportunity to experience the great outdoors of Montana at no cost to those individuals. MOGA aims to help children who have been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses, women suffering from breast cancer and military veterans who have provided extraordinary military service to our country. “Big Hearts Under the Big Sky” is the program designed for giving back to local communities.
 
“MSB women's soccer is very proud to be a part of such a huge event like this one,” said head women's soccer coach Wojtek Krakowiak. “Our players really enjoy giving back to the local community and did such an outstanding job with the event. We hope to continue our participation in this event in the future.”
 
This was the second year the 'Jackets had been invited to help out with the full-day event and MSUB's players divided up the day's busy schedule into three shifts.
 
The morning shift helped set up for the rest of the day's events as well as packed gift bags for select individuals who would be in attendance. The afternoon shift helped prepare for an auction and dinner and also helped organizing the hall for the evening's events. The final shift participated in the dinner and auction as well as sold raffle tickets to the over 300 people in attendance.
 
In the past three years, Big Hearts has served 28 families from 17 states that includes 140 people. Those families were given the opportunities to experience outdoor adventures in Montana.