|
Leaders on the field can also be leaders in their communities.
That is the key message U.S. Army All-American Bowl Soldier
Mentors wanted to impart on the high school football athletes
visiting the San Antonio-based Boysville, a residential care
facility for children, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. The players — the
nation's young football elite — spent their post-practice afternoon
challenging the elementary-aged children on their math skills in a
friendly competition. But, beyond the smiles and games was
ultimately another critical experience: how to be a leader in their
own communities.
|
Team East defensive back Trayvon Mullen (right), Coconut Creek High School in Coconut Creek, Fla., and Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Fink, the 2016 Army Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, try to stump the students during a math game Tuesday, Jan. 5,
2016 at Boysville in San Antonio, Texas. Soldiers and the nation's top high school football players are visiting locations like Boysville, a program for children from abused and neglected homes, as part a way to give back to the community leading up to the 2016 Army All-American Bowl,
heid Jan. 9, 2016 at the Alamo Bowl in downtown San Antonio. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brandon Hubbard, 204th Public Affairs Detachment)
|
“Sometimes when you are part of an organization, you're
part of something that is a little bit bigger than
yourself,” said Sgt. 1st Class Keith Johnson, an Army
All-American Bowl Soldier Mentor and a senior
noncommissioned officer in the 1st Battalion, Army Reserve
Careers Division.
Distinguished Army Soldiers are
paired with the student athletes each year at the Army
All-American Bowl as “Soldier Mentors” to support the
development of future leaders. Ninety, top high school
football players are invited each year to the bowl game, as
well as another 125 top high school marching band and Color
Guard students.
“Our job is to promote the
similarities between the Army and the role that they have
put themselves in with their hard work and promote their
leadership skills to give back to the community,” Johnson
said.
Johnson said the biggest part of that lesson is
remembering to always think bigger than an individual.
“These (Boysville) kids might not remember the names of
who came out here today, but they will remember the Army was
here today and the Army spent time with them, and it is the
same thing for the players from the Army All-American Bowl,”
Johnson said. “You always want to promote the best aspects
of your professionalism and the organization you are part
of.”
Seeking Role Models
Boysville, founded in
1943 to provide a home and support for children in south
Texas, has become an annual stop for players at the Army
All-American Bowl.
Interacting with the children has
a unique impact on the players, compared to the other
week-long festivities surrounding the premiere game.
John Simpson, a Team East offensive lineman from Fort
Dorchester High School in North Charleston, S.C., said when
he was younger, he looked up to successful football players
but never had the opportunity to meet those role models.
“Just spending time with kids who don't often get
attention is amazing,” Simpson said.
Fellow Team East
offensive lineman Clark Yarbrough agreed.
“Their
faces light up when you say something to them and give them
a pat on the back,” said Yarbrough from the Woodberry Forest
School in Woodberry Forest, Va. “It is an awesome feeling.”
“It is cool to see how such a little act can go such a
long way with these kids,” said Team East long snapper John
Shannon, from Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill. “I mean,
coming here for an hour and playing — building stuff — it
can really improve their day and make them so much happier.”
Boysville provides services for south Texas children
from infancy to adulthood. Visiting role models play a
regular part of the establishing a safe haven for children
to develop and be academically successful.
“The kids
love when people come and visit, but they especially love it
when they are teenagers who are closer to their own age,”
said Ann Kolacki, the volunteer coordinator for Boysville.
All of the youths at Boysville are in foster care in
Texas, meaning many of the students are also behind socially
or academically when they arrive at the campus, Kolacki
said.
Volunteers have a critical place in
socializing the kids in a positive way.
“Kids who are
newer to the campus might not be as eager to get involved,
but the kids who have been here and gotten comfortable —
they know where their next meal is coming from and not
worried about having a roof over their heads — are actually
really outgoing, friendly and happy to be around other
people. It is really great to see,” Kolacki said. “Having
high school students and the Soldiers come in to spend time
with our kids and encourage them means a lot — it really
does. Because, really, what we want to do is give them a
hope for the future.”
By U.S. Army Sgt. Brandon Hubbard
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
Comment on this article |
