University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Partner For Hurricane Matthew Relief
February 27, 2017 | Carolina Outreach
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – North Carolina student-athletes took time on Friday to assemble educational care packages for elementary school students in eastern North Carolina who continue to be affected by flooding from Hurricane Matthew. Working with other UNC students in a partnership between the Carolina Center for Public Service and the Department of Athletics, Tar Heels put together math and reading materials to be used by third, fourth and fifth grade students in Princeville, N.C.
“Every day we're thinking about what we need to get done and what we need to have in order, and it's nice to take an hour or whatever time you have to think about giving and doing something for someone else,” said Leslie Cloots, a senior business major who is a member of the women's golf team.
In addition to Cloots and her fellow student-athletes, Friday's group included the student leadership team of APPLES Service-Learning, participants of the Buckley Public Service Scholars program as well as some staff members from Athletics and CCPS.
Princeville Elementary School remains closed after last October's flooding, and students enrolled there currently attend classes in a nearby school building. Despite the upheaval and missed class time, they'll take North Carolina End-of-Grade tests in May just like the rest of the students in the state. “We wanted to do something to help them prepare for these important tests, and we thought it would be a good effort to create some activity kits to support what they're learning in the classroom that their teachers can use and that the students can use at home,” said Kim Allen, Program Officer at the Carolina Center for Public Service.
The group assembled 120 kits, each containing grade-specific reading and math activities designed to combine fun with learning. In addition to games like synonym bingo, each Princeville student will get a few UNC treats like pencils and key chains, donated by the Rams Club. Perhaps most meaningfully, each kit also contains an encouraging note written by one of the UNC students who participated in Friday's event. “It's a reminder that they have support from the folks at UNC Chapel Hill and that folks are thinking about them and care about them,” Allen said. “It's also a message that says school work is important.”
Tar Heel student-athletes are active in a variety of outreach projects throughout the year, volunteering frequently at nearby schools. Friday, they welcomed the opportunity to help out and send along support to a school a little farther away from Chapel Hill. “We want to lead by example,” said sophomore Mason Veal, a political science major who is a member of the Tar Heel football team. “I think projects like this are a really important thing for us to do.”
The Carolina Center for Public Service coordinates monthly disaster relief trips to areas affected by Hurricane Matthew. For details and to register, visit the UNC disaster relief trips page. The best source of updated information on UNC's disaster relief efforts is posted on a dedicated website at ccps.unc.edu/HurricaneMatthew.
Players Mentioned
