• Login
  • |
  • Sign Up
  • |
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Team Up 4 Community

Promoting Social Responsibility & Community Giveback through Athletics

  • Home
  • Community Map
  • Events
  • Activities
  • Resources
  • News
  • Get Involved!
  • About Us
  • Donate
  • Work With Us

Student-athletes connect with Boys & Girls Clubs

July 21, 2016 By Team Up 4 Community

Josh Watson knew exactly how the youngsters performing a football drill felt Wednesday as they joyfully sprinted around the Hughes Stadium turf.

Watson, you see, spent several years participating in Boys & Girls Club activities while growing up in the Kansas City, Mo., area. So, seeing 78 youngsters from across Larimer County beaming while going through skills drills left him with a wide smile.

Smiling faces were everywhere when CSU student-athletes worked with kids from Boys and Girls Clubs of Larimer County at Hughes Stadium.
“Giving back to the community is the most important thing we do in CSU football,” said Watson, a sophomore linebacker for the Rams. “It’s great being out here and seeing these kids with smiles on their faces. It brought back a lot of fun memories for me.”

First-time event

The kids came from Fort Collins, Loveland and Wellington – all participants in Larimer County Boys & Girls Clubs. The event was a first for both organizations, but judging by the enthusiasm displayed by the kids and the 50 or so members of CSU’s football, volleyball and soccer teams, Wednesday’s event was the start of a new tradition.

“This is one of the best things we’ve ever done – it’s just incredible!” said Kaycee Headrick, director of operations for LCBGC. “The kids have been so looking forward to this, and they are having an amazing time.”

The kids, ranging in age from 6 to 14, had to sign up for the event, and every available seat was taken, said Andy Abbott, the program and outreach coordinator for LCBGC.

The kids were divided into groups and taught various drills for each sport. Kids spent 30 minutes focusing on each represented sport, catching football passes, working on volleyball serves and booting balls into the back of soccer nets before rotating to the next sport.

After eating lunch provided by McDonald’s on the stadium’s concourse, the kids were given CSU gear and had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with the athletes while getting autographs.

The event was a literal eye-opener for Paulina Hougaard-Jensen, an incoming freshman from Denmark who arrived from Copenhagen just nine hours prior to the kids’ arrival at the stadium. She loved the experience.

“I wish I had the chance to do something like this when I was a kid,” she said. “It was really fun.”

Rams quarterback Nick Stevens was tossing passes and handing out praise to kids doing everything in their power to impress the student-athletes – many of whom towered over the youngsters.

“I would have loved to have done something like this when I was their age,” he said. “The kids are having a great time, and so are we. I know we all feel like any time we can give back to the community it’s a great thing. It’s a huge part of being a student-athlete at CSU.”

The first-year event is part of an expanding relationship with Boys & Girls Clubs both in Larimer County and in the Denver metropolitan area. Patrick Krza, assistant director of community outreach in the Department of Athletics, said future events are planned with Boys & Girls Clubs, including those that will bring kids to campus.

Source: http://source.colostate.edu/student-athletes-connect-with-boys-girls-clubs/

Recent News

  • Long Beach High School hosts “Beauty and the Beast” event
  • Varsity athletes build bonds with elementary students
  • Community service gives youth athletes the tools they need to succeed
  • Pink The Rink: Byram Hills Hockey Nets More Than $7,500 for Breast Cancer Research External Inbox
  • Feeding the homeless
  • Southampton Rotary Club members raise funds for the Retreat
  • Varsity club raises money for Special Olympics through badminton tournament
  • Seaford service-minded students collect coats and more
  • The Great Kindness Challenge kicks off in Three Village
  • Clubs across the district raise $3,800 for Hope for Haiti

TU4C News Archives

Team Up 4 Community

Phone: (866) 206-9168
Fax: (631) 532-4940
Email: info@w20foundation.org

Powered By:

W20 Foundation

Interact

  • Home
  • Community Map
  • Events
  • Activities
  • Resources
  • News

Get Involved!

  • How It Works
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Sign Up

About Us

  • About Us
  • From the Founder Steve Webb
  • The TU4C Ripple Effect
  • Research Supporting TU4C
  • Press and Media
  • Partners
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

WE ARE A RECOGNIZED 501(C)3 ORGANIZATION | © 2023 W20 FOUNDATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  • Home
  • Community Map
  • Events
  • Activities
  • Resources
  • News
  • Get Involved!
  • About Us
  • Donate
  • Work With Us