North Carolina State University Athletics
Thanksgiving Cheer: A Worthwhile Experience
12/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
With this in mind, 12 NC State athletic programs teamed up to be matched with Thanksgiving Cheer families. The role of each program was to provide a deserving family with groceries for a sufficient Thanksgiving dinner.
Those participating were women's basketball, women's soccer, men's tennis, women's cross country and track, men's and women's golf, men's and women's swimming and diving, cheerleading, gymnastics, baseball and softball.
In mid-November, each sport was matched with a local family. They were then given a description of their family, including the following information: the head of the household, address, primary phone, number of adults/teens, number of children, and distribution method.
It then became the responsibility of each team to contact its family, raise money for the Thanksgiving groceries, and arrange for the delivery.
As the NC State women's track and field representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, I was especially excited to sign my team up to participate. I was pleasantly surprised at how eager my teammates were to take part in the cause.
I put a sign-up sheet outside our locker room and by the end of one week, more than 25 of my teammates had already volunteered, each donating at least $5. By the time we were done collecting money, our team raised more than $125.00, which ended up being more than enough to buy a full Thanksgiving dinner. We bought a turkey, spiraled ham, macaroni and cheese, yams, collard greens, cornbread, stuffing, desserts and more.
We delivered the groceries to the family in downtown Raleigh the Sunday before Thanksgiving and the woman who received them was more than thankful and appreciative.
Participating in this event was particularly rewarding for me for two main reasons. It was the first real community service project that I was able to engage in with my teammates since the start of the fall semester. We came together as a team and genuinely cared about the cause.
Also, it gave me an opportunity to give back to my community in a personal way. I was able to directly communicate with a family in need and see the true benefits of the actions of my team. This was a worthwhile experience and something I will most definitely participate in next year.
Amira Chowyuk
W. Cross Country/Track & Field
