Chico State Athletics

Every other time in the history of the Chico State Department of Athletics’ Wildcat of the Week award, the winner has found out by looking at the website, social media, or via congratulations from a coach, friend of family member.

This week is different. Tomas Moreno, a student assistant in the Sports Information Department for the past two-plus years and the one responsible for designing the Wildcat of the Week graphic, found out when he was asked to design this week’s graphic. He simply needed to add a picture of himself.

A standout on the University’s club baseball team over the years, Moreno has also been an invaluable member of the Athletics Department staff by creating graphics, keeping statistics, and providing an exceptionally positive attitude while performing all of his duties.

But it is Moreno’s actions in his hometown of Inglewood over the last few months that made him an obvious choice for Wildcat of the Week honors.

Prior to the start of the school year, Moreno joined his high school friend and neighbor, Teresa Ortiz (who also attends Chico State), in putting together a backpack drive for the public school elementary students in “The Bottoms” section of Inglewood, where Moreno grew up and currently resides. They both have 11-year-old sisters that are best friends and attend Woodworth Elementary, where Moreno also went to elementary school.

Their goal was to deliver 100 backpacks lined with school supplies to students at Woodworth. The community quickly got behind the plan and donations poured in. After giving away close to 100 of the backpacks, around 200 remained.

Tuesday, Moreno and Ortiz visited community organizations throughout Inglewood, dropping off what remained and spreading the word about how to get them into the hands of other students.

“I grew up pretty poor and Teresa’s place was behind my apartment complex,” explained Moreno. “It’s a community where we know there is a lot of need, and quite frankly, kids we know by name in need.”