Hope for Stanley - August 2012

Each August, the DeVos Sport Business Management Program holds its new class orientation in the city of New Orleans to rebuild from Hurricane Katrina. Although the general public perception is that the rebuilding process is close to being finished, New Orleans still needs a tremendous amount of help. Dr. Lapchick made a commitment in 2006 to this city, and the Program sends students there 3-4 times per year. On top of the phenomenal community service that the group participates in, the trip acts as a way for the new students to get to know one another, the Directors, and the older class.

For the older class, the Class of 2013 in this case, the trip serves as the last Hope for Stanley trip as a class. D13 is entering their final semester at UCF before starting their internships and jobs. For each class, it is a humbling experience and a way to create tangible benefits for a great cultural city. Below are some quotes from some students that went on the trip. Also, be sure to check out photos from the trip on the Hope for Stanley Alliance's facebook page.

Class of 2014:

Holly Mercier: "Hope for Stanley is a great experience to make an impact in a city that is still in need of assistance but is too often forgotten. To be able to lend a hand to such a strong community was truly an honor. I was reminded of the responsibility that we all have to one another as human beings and the great things we can accomplish when we all work together. The Hope for Stanley trip was truly a life-changing experience."

Angie O'Flaherty: "Giving back to the community of New Orleans was an amazing experience! I never knew how much assistance the city still needed after seven years. I am grateful to have had the opportunity."

Class of 2013:

Orlando Gunn: Regarding the Breaux House & homeowner Ms. Donna- "It's been 7 long years. Seven years since she could call what she lived in her home. Seven years since seeing what matters most to her be shared with neighbors she's known since the age of five. From state to state, she's tried to make do, but in her heart of hearts, she knew no other placed but New Orleans would do. With our help, whether it was sweeping saw dust, measuring dry wall, or drilling into the ceiling, Ms. Donna along with her husband Larry were assured that others will come home as well."

Steve Thiel: "I could not have imagined a better trip to serve as my final Hope for Stanley experience while in the DeVos Program. The group I was a part of worked on the largest and oldest house that St. Bernard Project has ever supervised. When we arrived, our site supervisor told us that the site had to be finished by the time we left. Through the hard work of the group, we were able to accomplish that goal, and finished the home that had had volunteers working on it since February. New Orleans will always have a special place in my heart thanks to these Hope for Stanley trips."

DeVos Students "Deliver the Dream"

Background: As DeVos students, we have a community service requirement each semester that we must fulfill while in the program. While each of the first three semesters has a required number of hours to fulfill (40, 42, 10), the final semester’s requirement is to participate in a weekend-long camp focusing on individuals with disabilities, or life-altering medical conditions. Deliver the Dream is an example of one of those camps, specifically focusing on families with a member battling a serious illness. As of July 20th, the Class of 2013 has completed 3,625.5 hours of service, with many more to come. Here are two students’ thoughts on their experience at Deliver the Dream.

Rahman:

Deliver the Dream was exactly that. I felt that we as volunteers did our best to deliver the dream to the mothers and fathers that opened up and trusted us with their children. I quickly realized how seldom the parents of my assigned family were able to simply hold hands. They were always so busy with their 5-year-old daughter who has cerebral palsy and their two year old who had more energy than three volunteers combined. So as I, and a fellow classmate chased and watched over our two angels for the weekend, it warmed my heart to get to see them spend time with each other and really just let their hair down. It put a lot into perspective for me as I realized having children is both a rewarding and continual gift. I will never forget Emma And Joey.

Claire:

After the first day, I immediately began to shut down. It had already been a long week and there were a million things going through my head. All I could think was, I can't handle this for two more days.

After sitting down with my roommate for the weekend however, we both helped each other put things into perspective. The entire weekend was about being selfless. Our biggest struggle was to step outside of ourselves and really focus on our families. It taught me to really look outside of myself and make this weekend about my little girl with cerebral palsy, Maryn. When I started to look at things with that perspective, I was able to gain so much more then I originally expected to. I admired these parents and their incredible strength. No one planned for this to happen, but they stuck by their kids and it brought a warmth to my heart that can't be explained. To say the least, it was truly a humbling experience. It made me appreciate simple things such as being able to help myself. I'd recommend this camp to anyone. It was probably one of the hardest weekends I've worked both physically and emotionally, but the benefits and lessons I learned far exceeded the hours of time I gave.

About the Authors:

Rahman Anjorin is currently a member of the 2013 DeVos Class. His graduate career is preceded by completing his Exercise Science degree at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA. After graduating from the DeVos Program, Rahman hopes to transition into Player Engagement and Athlete Development. Feel free to contact him at ranjori1@gmail.com

Claire Burnett is a current member of the Class of 2013. She graduated with a degree in Advertising/Public Relations from the University of Central Florida and hopes to work in brand activation and experiential marketing upon completion of the DeVos Program. You can follow her on twitter @_ClaireMia

Community Service - Scholar Baller

Scholar Baller seeks to bridge the gap between the educational, athletic, and entertainment communities in America. By eliminating the cultural disconnects between these three entities, student- athletes will gain a more holistic understanding for how education, sport and entertainment can become one healthy lifestyle. This will in turn help student-athletes create a positive self-image and compete with passion and integrity in all aspects of their life.

On Saturdays, the volunteers for this service organization teach the Scholar Baller curriculum to students from the YMCA Black Achievers program. The students in the Black Achievers program consist of 9th-12th grade male and females from various high schools in the Orlando area. The six main principles in the Scholar Baller curriculum include lessons on self identity and social identity, the competitive spirit, scholar baller paradigm/ standard, vision, purpose, mission, and goals, decision making system, and vision, industry, self-respect, perseverance, success and humility. In addition to teaching the Scholar Baller curriculum, the volunteers in this organization also assist with the YMCA Black Achiever Junior-Senior sessions. During these sessions, the volunteers serve as mentors to high school junior and seniors and assist them with various components of the college application process and ultimately help them prepare for post-secondary education.

When asked about her views on the Scholar Baller Program, Nicole Fowler (Class of 2010) said that "I have never come across a program like Scholar-Baller that uses a unique mix of sport, entertainment and education to mentor students-athletes to be positive role models and give back to the community. It is very rewarding to help these great student-athletes realize that they can be successful on the field, in the classroom, and in life."

For more information about this and other community service projects coordinated through the DeVos Program, please feel free to e-mail us at devosprogram@gmail.com.

- Cara

Community Service - Camp Boggy Creek

Camp Boggy Creek, Florida’s Hole in the Wall Camp, was started by Paul Newman and is a place where children with chronic or life threatening illnesses can safely enjoy the activities of a “traditional” camp. The mission of Camp Boggy Creek is to create camping experiences that are memorable, exciting, fun, empowering, physically safe and medically sound. They offer week long summer sessions as well as family weekends during the fall and spring. Each session or weekend brings children together with the same illness so they realize that they are not alone.

During family weekends you can be assigned as either a family pal or an activity pal. Activity pals are stationed at certain activity sites (for example, archery or boating and fishing) and are there to help explain the activity and ensure that everyone remains safe. A family pal is assigned to a family and goes everywhere that the family wishes to go. They are responsible for ensuring everyone is having a good time and getting involved, as well as allowing the parents a chance to relax and not worry about their children. During family weekends the child with the illness is able to bring their siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, ect. to camp with them.

I volunteered for the Rheumatic family weekend held September 26-28, 2008 and was assigned as a family pal. My family was Macayla, an adorable 11-year-old girl with Rheumatic disease who was the best hula-hooper I’ve ever seen; her mom, Christy; her best friend, Megan, a 12-year-old girl who is great at gymnastics; and Megan’s mom, Heather. My girls loved archery so we spent a lot of time there but we also took a paddle boat out on the lake, made race cars in woodshop, played miniature golf, and went to a pool party for all of the campers. It was nice because their moms were able to spend some time together and relax while I got to run around and play with the kids. On Saturday night we had a dance with a superheroes theme. Macayla and Megan loved to dance and I got to teach them the Cupid’s Shuffle and the Electric Slide. On the last day the kids had a talent show. My girls were a little shy so they didn’t participate but we enjoyed watching the other campers display their talents. As my fellow classmate, Eric Little, said, “It was a really fun experience and an opportunity to be a kid again. The motto is ‘Play with Kids’ and the camp really embodies that”.

Throughout camp three “medallions” were passed around to anyone who displayed acts of kindness. Macayla and Megan were given a medallion for being a hopper and getting the breakfast for the families at our table. They gave me the medallion almost immediately after getting it for being their family pal. It was a very special moment for me. In addition they wrote very sweet letters to their moms and me which were read to all of the families after the talent show. Their kindness, generosity and selflessness are inspirational. Macayla and Megan, along with all of the other campers and their families, truly are superheroes for their courage, hope, and positive attitudes.

- Jessica, Class of 2009

Community Service - Read2Succeed

One major component of the DeVos Program is the opportunity to volunteer and interact in the greater Orlando community. The Read2Succeed Program takes place in schools around Orange County with the goals of increasing literacy in area second graders and building these students’ confidence and interest in reading. Since its humble beginnings at five school sites three years ago, the program now enrolls nearly 450 volunteers at over 40 schools.

This semester, Alejandra, Lauren, Jama and myself are volunteering at Hidden Oaks Elementary where we each tutor four children a week. Between interactive group games and one-on-one reading time, we keep our sessions fresh and entertaining for the kids so that they enjoy reading and learn the comprehension skills necessary to keep pace in the classroom.

Alejandra summed up her thoughts on the Read2Succeed Program by saying how rewarding it was just to interact with her students at Hidden Oaks. “I love going in every week and greeting my kids with a smile and hug. We really can’t tell yet how much our efforts together have positively impacted their reading skills, but the kids are definitely more interested in reading overall. Each time I walk them back to their classroom at the end of our session they promise they will read more at home and how they can’t wait to meet again next week.”

Enjoy The Day

- Charlie