Student-athletes are engaging Alamance-Burlington School System students at Hillcrest Elementary through pen pal letters, a courtside visit to a game and attending the 2020 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship.
During fall 2019, student-athletes in the women’s basketball program launched a pen pal program to engage and mentor elementary school students in the Alamance Burlington School System.
“My hope is that the Elon women’s basketball pen pals will inspire, equip and shape the lives of others,” said coach Charlotte Smith.
Coach Smith, along with Stephen Fishler, director of women’s basketball operations, were looking for ways to connect members of the team with local students. They understood that it would provide a way for the women’s basketball program to make a positive impact on youth in the community.
“You can never underestimate the difference you can make in someone’s life by simply taking the time to reach out to others,” said Smith. “In a world where handwritten notes are a lost art, this is something the students can hold on to and cherish for the rest of your life.”
With the help of Lesley Henry, director of education outreach and director of Collegiate Start at Elon. 15 Hillcrest Elementary students were selected for the inaugural pen pal program. The Hillcrest students and Elon student-athletes exchanged three letters with one another in the fall. “It’s amazing that I can use my basketball platform to inspire and build personal relationships with children in our community,” said Jada Graves ‘21.
All involved have been growing in excitement With each new letter, the relationships between the Elon student-athletes and elementary school children deepened and the excitement grew. “It’s like Christmas each time we open a new letter,” said fifth-grader Adante Valentin.
Valentin and his schoolmates have been invited to sit courtside in Schar Center and cheer on their pen pal mentors when the Phoenix take on The College of William & Mary on Jan. 31. The players will get a chance to spend more quality time with their pen pals at Hillcrest when they share a meal together. The year will conclude with the Hillcrest students visiting Elon’s campus when the university hosts the Colonial Athletic Association’s women’s basketball conference tournament in March.
The pen pal program is part of a larger effort stemming from Elon Athletics’ partnership with the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement. Andrew Stafford, student services and Elon Experiences coordinator for Elon Athletics, and Sarah Williams, assistant director for the Kernodle Center, are managing an NCAA grant that is focused in part on increasing student-athlete involvement in service, providing education around social issues and community engagement, expanding involvement in the Service Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR), and documenting the student-athletes’ service.
Student-athletes wishing to volunteer in the local community or learn more about the Service ELR can reach out to Andrew Stafford.