Community Outreach Year In Review

Carolina Athletics is committed to giving back to the campus and surrounding community through time, talents and resources. Outreach is a part of the culture at UNC, and student-athletes act on a desire to serve and embrace their responsibility as role models. Each team has a designated outreach representative who organizes service opportunities, and the total number of hours devoted to service continues to climb. During the 2017-18 school year, UNC student-athletes, coaches and staff members participated in more than 5,200 hours of community outreach.

Outreach efforts are concentrated in the following areas:

EDUCATION:
Carolina Athletics is committed to promoting learning and academic achievement and emphasizing literacy.
·         Throughout the school year, UNC student-athletes are frequent visitors to local elementary schools. They often serve as guest readers or PE helpers, acting as role models and speaking to students about the importance of education. During the 2017-18 school year, Tar Heels participated in three African-American Read-ins to celebrate Black History Month, as well as several other Read-A-Thons.
·         The UNC Pen Pal Program, a partnership with New Hope Elementary, is in its fifth year. Over 300 student-athletes exchange letters six times a year with elementary students, then the pen pals meet at a UNC baseball game. Representatives from 27 UNC teams participated in 2017-18.
·         Carolina Athletics has teamed with Duke Energy for a third year of Tar Heel Reading Days, an initiative in which student-athletes visit elementary schools to read to entire grade, and provide books and Carolina posters for each student. In 2017-18 there were four Tar Heel Reading Days, with members of the women's soccer, softball, men's basketball and men's golf teams visiting schools.

HOSPITALS:
The UNC Hospitals complex looms large just behind Kenan Stadium, near and very dear to the Carolina Athletics family.
·         The football team visited patients at UNC Children's Hospital on the Friday before each home game, continuing a tradition now in its 28th year.
·         Seven teams visited the Pediatric Play Atrium to spend time with patients, enjoying games or arts and crafts.
·         On Halloween, Carolina Athletics hosted the third-annual HEELoween Party at the Children's Hospital. Student-athletes decorated the play atrium then joined young patients for games, crafts and trick-or-treating around the hospital. They also made visits to rooms of patients who couldn't attend the party.
·         Throughout the year, student-athletes make numerous trips to the hospital, visiting with patients and their families. Often the meetings lead to lasting relationships, with visits throughout the patient's stay at UNC.
·         The men's lacrosse team raised more than $23,000 for the Vs. Cancer Foundation to fight childhood cancers.
·         The rowing team held its annual Erg-A-Thon to support breast cancer research at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. This year's event, held in October of 2017, raised more than $10,000.

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS:
Carolina Athletics has strong relationships with various organizations and non-profits in the community. Student-athletes use their role in sports to promote joy and provide service that instills both strength and pride.
·         The men's and women's lacrosse, baseball, and swimming & diving teams hosted Habitat for Humanity builds in Orange County. (The softball and rowing teams had scheduled builds rained out.)
·         UNC teams provided holiday gifts for 34 local kids as part of the annual Share Your Holidays program. Tar Heel team members donated more than $8,000 to purchase the gifts, which they then wrapped and delivered. Every team participated, with men's basketball partnering with the Me Fine Foundation.
·         Female student-athletes shared their sports with more than 600 young girls and boys in the annual UNC National Girls & Women in Sports Day celebration, which grows larger each year.
·         UNC teams hosted more than 10 meals at the SECU Family House during the year. Meals are for patients and families being treated at UNC Hospitals. The rowing team led the way, cooking meals on six occasions, with the field hockey, volleyball, and swimming and diving teams also cooking meals.
·         UNC student-athletes frequently volunteer their time and strength for volunteer hours and yard work for Ronald McDonald House, the Charles House Eldercare Center, TABLE and Meals on Wheels Chapel Hill.

University of North Carolina Athletics

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