FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 9, 2021

COLUMBIA, S.C. ― The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is proud to announce the South Carolina State University Bulldogs Football Team as the latest recipient of the agency’s Community Hero Award. Every player on the Bulldogs Football Team is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

To recognize the team’s great efforts, during halftime of Saturday’s SC State football game, Dr. Linda Bell, State Epidemiologist, and Felicia Veasey, DHEC’s COVID Response Operations Director for the Lowcountry, presented SC State’s Interim President Col. Alexander Conyers and Athletic Director Stacy Danley with the agency’s Community Hero Award. DHEC presents this award to groups or individuals who have taken the initiative to be community leaders during the ongoing fight against COVID-19. 

“On behalf of our entire agency, Team DHEC is proud to recognize the SC State Bulldogs Football Team for taking the tremendous initiative to be 100 percent vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Dr. Bell. “By each player stepping up to get fully vaccinated, the Bulldogs have taken great strides to protect not only the health of their team, but also the health of their fellow students, faculty, their family and friends, and their community as a whole.”

From left to right: Col. Alexander Conyers, SC State’s Interim President; Dr. Linda Bell, State Epidemiologist; Felicia Veasey, DHEC COVID Response Operations Director for the Lowcountry; and SC State Athletics Director Stacy Danley during DHEC’s award presentation at halftime of the Nov. 6 game.
 

“I would like to thank Dr. Bell and DHEC for this important recognition,” said Col. Conyers. “So often, we look to our student-athletes as leaders and role models within our greater university population. As we navigate this global pandemic, their example has never been so relevant and so critical.” 

“I am honored to lead an athletics program whose coaches and players are 100 percent committed to staying healthy in competition and setting a stellar example for fellow students both on and off the field,” said Danley. 

While DHEC is the state’s lead public health agency, it can’t defeat COVID-19 alone. South Carolina needs the help, support, and ideas from partners across the state to enhance access to COVID-19 education, testing, and vaccines within our communities. Many heroes, like the SC State Bulldogs Football Team, have sprung into action and their examples serve as a guide for others to follow.

To nominate a Community Hero or to read about previous recipients of the award, visit scdhec.gov/communityhero. For the latest COVID-19 information in South Carolina, visit scdhec.gov/COVID19.