WASHINGTON – Members of the Georgetown University women’s basketball squad have been active both on and off the court this season as the squad has dedicated itself to giving back to the community.
Head Coach Natasha Adair returned to the Hilltop to take over in April after a stint as an assistant coach for the Hoyas from 1998-2004. She immediately encouraged her student-athletes to take a more active role within the Georgetown community and off campus as the team has ventured all over the city.
“Our mission as a university and a program is to serve others,” said Adair. “My goal for our student-athletes is to take on a servant’s mentality as we can benefit from helping others. Giving our time and support to our community is our way of saying thank you to all the people who have helped us along our journey. Community outreach and the opportunity to engage with others teaches our players invaluable lesson about life, diversity and perseverance.”
During the off season, the players were able to interact with patients in the pediatric ward at Georgetown University Hospital as well as distributing lunches to the less fortunate in Dupont Circle.
However, in season, it can be more difficult to find time to give back with two games a week, practice and classes. Adair worked hard to build in that time showing the student-athletes that community service is also a vital part of their development on the Hilltop.
In November, the team served dinner to the less fortunate the day before Thanksgiving at Georgetown Lutheran Church. From serving meals to cleaning up, it gave players an opportunity to make a difference and to hear the stories of different people from all walks of life.
“Serving dinner was cool because we gave the people an opportunity to experience Thanksgiving dinner in a family-type atmosphere,” said junior Katie McCormick. “Most of the people there were homeless so to give them that experience was really nice.”
Prior to Christmas, members of the squad donated their time wrapping gifts at Pentagon City Mall with all proceeds going to Arms Outstretched Ministries and Walter Reed Hospital families.
A few weeks ago, the squad spent Martin Luther King, Jr., Day cleaning up Pope Branch Park on the Anacostia River in Southeast Washington. It was a different part of the city for many of the players and also an opportunity to give back on an important day for our nation.
“It was important that, as a team, we’re not always just playing the game,” said freshman Dorothy Adomako. “MLK Day was about giving back to the community that comes to our games to cheer us on.”
As the team hits the halfway point of conference play, service may not be on the forefront of everyone’s mind. However, taking that time off of the court to give back puts in perspective what the student-athletes are achieving at Georgetown. The world-class education coupled with high-level basketball does not reach the Jesuit philosophy of “Cura Personalis”, the whole person, without that included element of service to others.
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