University of North Carolina Athletics
The Game Of Giving Back: Carolina Outreach
November 27, 2002 | General
Nov. 27, 2002
By Stacy Scarazzo
Athletic Communications
University of North Carolina student-athletes spend most of their time pushing themselves on the field and in the classroom. With the little time they have left, some Tar Heel athletes push themselves further and play in the game of giving with a team that forms Carolina Outreach, the community service organization founded and run by UNC athletes.
Outreach serves the community in many ways, from mentoring in local schools to helping out at the university's dance marathon to benefit children in UNC hospitals. They meet monthly in the academic center. Representatives from all the athletic teams meet to discuss Outreach activities and make plans for upcoming events. The organization attempts to balance service activities and athletes' schedules.
Carolina Outreach began this year with an Adopt-a-Classroom program through which they send about 50 athletes on a weekly basis to classrooms throughout the Chapel Hill/Carrboro School District. Adopt-a-Classroom began last year when Gena Bittner of the women's swimming team realized there was enough interest among Carolina athletes and began the program.
The athletes spend about an hour each week with the children reading, tutoring students, helping out around the classroom and acting as positive role models.
"Each time Dian, one of the students I work with who came here from China last spring, and I switch-off reading to each other, it's wonderful to watch her facial expressions and to see her reactions when it's my turn to read to her," program coordinator Jessie Brosch said about her experience with Adopt-a- Classroom.
But that was not enough for Outreach chairperson Jordan Walker of the women's soccer team. Walker along with representatives from all the athletic teams decided to implement a new program to create Thanksgiving baskets for needy families through Chapel Hill Social Services.
Representatives from the teams will collect money and canned goods from their teams to fill the baskets. Then the representatives will purchase turkeys to complete the meals.
Along with gathering food for the Thanksgiving baskets, Carolina Outreach will continue participation in the Share-Your-Christmas program. Share-Your- Christmas provides each sports team the opportunity to sponsor at least one family through the Durham County Social Services. Men's soccer player Matt Crawford, heads the Share-Your-Christmas program.
Last year, almost every team participated and Outreach committee members said that they are hoping for such success again this year. The swim team is requesting the same family from last year.
"They got really involved with them. It was a single mother with two or three kids. They ended up taking them to softball games and a couple of different events," Crawford said.
Each team has the responsibility of contacting the family and providing them with presents.
"The men's and women's soccer teams paired up for Share-Your-Christmas. Jordan and I went to Wal-Mart and spent four or five hours there and spent $400 or $500 on gifts, wrapped them up and brought them up to the family in Durham. It was a lot of fun to do that and bring them gifts," Crawford said about his experiences with Share-Your-Christmas last year.
One of the obstacles that student-run organizations face is to continue a tradition of success once the leaders of today graduate.
Walker, a junior, said she is working to keep Carolina Outreach thriving even when she leaves.
"My goal is that when I leave, it'll remain a stable and thriving organization, something that continues to grow and take on new projects. There are people on my team and on other teams that don't think they have enough time to do it. They just don't realize how beneficial and rewarding it is for the people helping out," Walker said. "It's something they'll hopefully continue to do and something they'll do for the rest of their lives."
After success last year, Carolina Outreach again wants to participate in the university's dance marathon. Carolina athletes raise money the university-wide fund-raising event that benefits children at UNC Hospitals. At the Marathon, they entertain the dancers by performing lip sync acts.
"That's definitely one of my favorite memories, just being there and doing the lip sync, which is a blast," Walker said. "We actually had some people that came back at different parts of the night because they saw how fun it was hanging out and playing with the kids."
"Each team tries to raise the most money and the Top 10 teams get to be a part of the Lip Sync competition," Crawford added. "That's always been a blast for us, every year."
Walker said that Outreach hopes to work with the Special Olympics in the spring along with continuing the Adopt-a-Classroom program. "We want to offer one other thing. Maybe we'll do a field day with the Special Olympics because it seems like a good fit," she said.
Crawford added that Carolina Outreach would benefit from more publicity.
"I think once other athletes realize the good we can do, they'll also like to be involved and we can make it a better program with more participation," he said.
Walker also said that she believes in Carolina Outreach.
"Society a lot of times puts [athletes] on a pedestal, and we're getting an opportunity to reach out to children or other people a little more strongly than maybe your normal student." she said. "I just think we're put in this great position and we need to take advantage of it."
