University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heel Standouts Honored With Top 6 For Service Award
April 29, 2014 | Softball
Throughout the year, Tar Heel student-athletes participate in many hours of community outreach (more than 2,200 this year, at last count) as part of scores of different projects. Each hour is meaningful, and each project has worth.
But as the 2013-14 year wraps up, UNC has honored six individuals or groups who have made a particularly large impact, recognizing them with ACC Top Six for Service awards.
The annual awards are given at each ACC school to those who have distinguished themselves in the area of community service. UNC's awards for 2013-14 were presented April 14 at the Rammys and went to:
Zoe Skinner, women's lacrosse
Skinner won the award for the second year in a row. A senior political science major from Baltimore, Md., she is extremely active in community outreach throughout the year and this year initiated a pen pal project, in which UNC student-athletes correspond with fourth graders from a local elementary school.
Kelly McFarlane, women's soccer
McFarlane, a senior health policy major from Mill Valley, Calif., is highly involved in outreach with UNC Children's Hospital. She visits the pediatric playroom once a week and has involved her teammates in various projects connected with the hospital, sometimes planning several events through the course of a weekend. She is also involved in Carolina Dreams, which brings kids who have been patients at UNC Children's Hospital to camps to attend a sporting event with Tar Heel student-athletes.
The women's lacrosse team
On the heels of the program's first NCAA title, won last May, team members participated in 15 different outreach projects during the year. Among the projects were Habitat for Humanity builds, school visits, and yard work at a local senior center.
Tar Heel Navigators
The Richard A. Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy and Carolina Outreach partnered with Northside Elementary School to provide leadership education in a first-year program called Tar Heel Navigators. Twelve UNC student-athletes, all members of the Leadership Academy and representing eight different teams, met monthly with fifth-graders to provide leadership lessons and mentoring.
Service Ballers
Members of the UNC football team were recognized for a strong commitment to outreach activities. In addition to visiting UNC Children's Hospital on the Friday before each home game and on numerous other occasions throughout the year, they organized many other projects, including Christmas caroling at a local senior center.
Champions for Change
An initiative started by senior softball players Ashley Bone and Lori Spingola, Champions for Change partners with a local agency that supports those with disabilities to host youngsters at softball games throughout the season. The team hosts a child and his or her family during a weekend game, giving them a behind-the-scenes look at the team.
