2008 Woodie Awards
Athletic Kids Day
Tiffany Valo
Issue date: 11/5/04 Section: Holt News
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Before this, there had never been an event that invited local children to come see our athletes in action. Previously, there have been events with the children of the Charlee House in the fall semester, but never during the Spring semester. That is when the idea for holding the first ever Athletic Kids Day became a reality. To continue this, the children from the Charlee House were invited once again. Thirty of the children attended with their chaperones. Some Rollins cheerleaders were there to show their support, and most of the Office of Community Engagement staff came as well.
Dr. Hudspeth brought her husband and three sons along to help out. Her kids had tons of fun and were a huge help passing things out. Lee Carlson, the promotion intern at the Alfond Sports Center, was a great help in getting pizza donated from Brooklyn Pizza. Lee had envisioned having some kind of children's program with our sports teams, and was thrilled when he found out about my Athletic Kids Day. He also had donated pom-poms and game programs for the children to take home with them. Thanks to the Office of Community Engagement, sodas and candy were purchased for the children. The Office of Student Involvement and Leadership was nice enough to donate yo-yos as well. Some of the children that attended last year remembered me when they came this year, which was truly heart warming.
Keith Buckley, the coach of the men's soccer team, was ecstatic to be apart of the evening. After the game, he allowed the children to meet the team players and get autographs and hugs. In the Spring semester, there will be at least two more Athletic Kids Days, one at a home basketball game and one at a home baseball game. The children and chaperones were very excited and cannot wait to come back to another Rollins sporting event.
Students who want to volunteer their time and hang out with the children at a game, while being a positive role model are always welcome. Please feel free to contact me at TVALO@rollins.edu if you are interested in helping out! A special thanks to the coaches, team players, Dr. Roach and everyone else involved with helping make each Athletic Kids Day a HUGE success!