B-W Football Team to Aid Need Children in Back to School Program as Part of its Community Service
Written by SID Kevin Ruple on Monday, August 19, 2002
BEREA, OHIO -- On Monday, the Baldwin-Wallace College football team won its first challenge of the 2002 season and made first-year Head Coach John Snell 1-0 with needy children in the Greater Cleveland area when the Yellow Jacket squad joined hands with the Ford Motor Company in its Back to School Program.
The Back to School Program is a part of the community service program that Snell has instituted. As Snell told his players in June prior to leaving for summer break and again when they entered preseason camp last Thursday, "Service and Community Service is a part of leadership. And this program will lead by example." This part of the program was well-received by the Yellow Jacket student-athlete/ football players.
When the B-W football players came to preseason Picture Day on August 15, each student-athlete received a box that he filled with school supplies for a needy child in the Greater Cleveland area. The approximately 150 boxes were filled with pens and pencils, erasers, notepads and norebook paper, binders, protractors and many other items that a child needs prior to the start of school next week.
On Monday, Diane Nickel, a representative for Ford who was accompanied by two other Ford representaves and two members of University Settlement, the group that distributes the boxes to children with need were on campus in Berea with a truck to pickup and transport the boxes of supplies to a main headquarters on Broadway Avenue in Cleveland. The Back to School Program is one of 22 programs that Ford supports in its Community Services endeavor. Baldwin-Wallace provided two of the 32 groups that supported the Back to School Program. The faculty, administration and staff completed its part of the program on August 14.
"We are happy to take part in this project and we hope that it benefits many young people," said Yellow Jacket senior offensive tackle Carlos Rivera, a graduate of Berea High School. "It is a way for us to give back to the community for all of the help and support we have received both in school and as student-athletes."
"Our hope is that each young person who receives the supplies can benefit from them academically," said senior fullback and team captain Gerald Hazzard, a graduate of North Olmsted High School. "If having the supplies will make it easier for each person to do his or her school work and helps their level of concentration, then we have helped them. It is a great feeling to be able to help others."
Nickel represented the group. "You are making a difference," she said. "You are helping young children who could not have otherwise afforded the supplies. It will benefit them in many ways.
John Snell was also pleased. "I am very proud of our young men," he said. "They are giving back to the community in a way that is enriching the lives of others. We, as coaches and players, have the obligation to set an example for others who are not as fortunate as we. It is great to see the excitement and fun that the players had in filling the boxes. It was a great experience for the players."
The next community service project for Snell and his players will take place on Saturday, October 26 when B-W will hold its Second Annual Youth Football Day when the Yellow Jackets host Muskingum College at 1:30 p.m. All Youth Football Players wearing their game jersey as well as their parents will receive free admittance to the game. In addition, the B-W junior varsity will join hands with Cheri Harrer's women's basketball players to hand out inkless children's identication kits. Also, each Youth Football Player will receive a notepad and marker. Following the game, B-W players, coaches and cheerleaders will be available for autographs and pictures. For more information, please contact B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple in his office at 440-826-2327. You can also FAX him at 440-826-2329 or e-mail him at kruple@bw.edu.