On Saturday, January 26th Athletes for Hope University participated in Louisiana Key Academy’s First Family Health & Sports Day. Four teams along with Baton Rouge Soccer Club came out and lead sports stations for not only kids but the entire family. The event encouraged healthy lifestyles for parents and students through interactive food preparation and various sports skills sessions.
We often share photos from our athlete connections, but this time we wanted to share what the experience meant to the athletes themselves. Here is what the AFH U student athletes had to say about volunteering last week.
Southern Soccer
“We had the privilege of playing games with and getting to know such amazing children at a youth field day for kids with dyslexia! It was a fantastic experience and I’m so glad that I got to share this experience with my teammates and other athletes of the Baton Rouge community!” -Amya Webb
“It was so fun working with the kids and seeing them put so much energy into what we taught. It feels good to be able to help and give back especially to my own community.”- Skylar Randall
“Today was an amazing experience. It was very fun watching the kids play against each other. They all kept great attitudes the entire time and really made our volunteering experience easy and enjoyable.” -Tempest Shepherd
LSU Soccer
“It’s so fulfilling to come out on a beautiful Saturday morning and work with kids. We showed them how playing soccer and getting active outside is so important and beneficial to mental & physical health” – Marlena Cutura
‘It was nice to get out and help BRSC and LKA with their health and sport camp today. Helping the kids develop their soccer and health understanding was great to be a part of.’ – Lucy Parker
LSU Volleyball
“I loved interacting with both the kids and the parents at field day today. It’s so fun to see the joy that volleyball and other sports bring them.”- Anna Zwiebel
“The LA Key Academy Field Day was a great way to start the morning! I had a blast teaching volleyball to the kids and parents.”-Sydney Mukes
“It was awesome to share our sport with children at the LA Key Academy on a beautiful day. We were even impressed by their parents’ participation and are excited to see our sport grow in the community.”- Katie Kampen
LSU Football
“Today was a lot of fun! We got to play soccer and volleyball with a great group of kids. Encouraging them and being open to talk to them about their dyslexia will go a long way in building their confidence and belief that they can do anything!”- Josh Growden
“It was such a fun experience to get out in the Baton Rouge community and connect with the kids. Being able to be active with them and for them to see what is possible if they set goals is incredible. We are so appreciative of Athletes for Hope for setting up events like this because often times the kids can have more of an impact on us than we do on them!”- Blake Ferguson
Thanks to all the AFH University student athletes who took time out of their busy schedules to give back to the kids. We’d also like to thank our funders The Pennington Family Foundation and Nike for allowing us to continue this valuable program in the Baton Rouge area.