North Carolina State University Athletics
Inside the Chalk Box: Sophomore Emily Anderson
12/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Dec. 6, 2011
Aside from all the hard training of preseason, our team has been getting involved with as many community service opportunities as we can. The first activity we got to participate in was through Habitat for Humanity. In late October, we took a trip to a deconstruction site to help organize, tear down, and de-nail some of the wood planks they had on the site. This was a great experience to be working together as a team and serving for the Habitat committee. We split into groups and had to use a lot of team work to get the job done. With our help, now they can take the next step forward to prepare for building the houses. There are so many materials that go into each house and by organizing there will be less work for the workers. We hope to participate again with Habitat for Humanity in the near future. It was a great feeling to know that we took part in the process for a family to have a brand new home.
Just a couple weeks after Habitat, some of the team got to go to Litchford Falls Nursing home to spend some time with the elderly. We brought them some posters, played games, and just chatted with each of them individually. Some of the stories they told were incredible. It was so much fun to listen to their lives and interact with them. We gained such a great sense of human compassion and we got to make a huge impact on these men and women’s lives in just one night.
Another way we got to serve was over the Thanksgiving Holidays. The whole team including Mark put together a wonderful Thanksgiving Day meal for a family in need. We all carpooled to a less fortunate family's home to spend some time with them and bring them the food. It was an amazing feeling for us to see how grateful and blessed they were to have us come and help them out for the Holidays. Seeing the little girls and the mother’s smile at that house was a reward in itself. It was so sad to think that many families go without a meal on Thanksgiving or even meals on a daily basis for that matter. Even though we were only able to help out one family, we were grateful of the opportunity.
This past week we went to Crabtree mall and dropped of toys for the Toys for Tots organization. We had a blast picking out toys for these kids and picturing the joy on their faces when they will open them. When we are helping others in need or making a difference we are lifting them up and also really learning a lot about strength, compassion and vulnerability. Every act of service was such a humbling experience.
Serving others is such a great way for us to be out in the community together. It is so encouraging to see what a positive and giving group of girls we have on this team. There is so much more one can do to help others in this world. These experiences opened our eyes to see how fortunate we truly are, and how so many people are in need of just the basics. We want to continue to make a difference and to serve others in our community every chance we can.
