Boys and Girls Club Event Huge Success
October 15, 2015 | Football
By Brooks Hatch
Osubeavers.com
Many athletic programs simply pay lip service to the concept of public service by their student-athletes.
At Oregon State, they walk the talk.
Or they play pool, knock around a ping-pong ball, sign autographs, shoot baskets, show a pint-sized future player how to shed a blocker or take a handoff, or participate in myriad other activities in doing their part to help enrich a community they'll call home for four or five years.
And they give of their time, perhaps the most important commodity of all in the hectic, busy world of a modern-day scholarship student-athlete.
Recently, Beaver football student-athletes Daniel Rodriguez, Titus Failauga, Baker Pritchard, Jordan Villamin, Victor Bolden, Kellen Clute, Marcus Greaves, Jashwa James, Manase Hungalu, Brandon Arnold, Darell Garretson, Marcus McMaryion, Luke Hollingsworth, Treston DeCoud, Lavonte Barnett, Leo Fuimaono and Kyle Peko visited the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis for an afternoon of socializing, mentoring, hands-on instruction, and just generally being all-around good guys in an event coordinated by the Beyond Football program.
The orange-clad Pied Pipers towered over the swarms of youngsters who followed them throughout the building. Several hundred children were at the Club following a day at their respective elementary or middle schools, and they treated their guests like Hollywood celebrities.
“We love it here, seeing how excited it gets them to see us with our jerseys on and seeing how much excitement it brings,” said McMaryion, who teamed up with Greaves to play foosball and ping pong, to sign autographs, and make countless new friends during their busy stint in the game room.
“We don't realize how much of an impact it makes on the kids but we are really excited to be here. I didn't have a Boys & Girls Club” in his hometown of Dinuba, Calif., McMaryion added. “From the looks of it, though, it's a lot of fun and the kids really enjoy it here.”
Beyond Football program coordinator Kayla Gross came to OSU from the University of Wisconsin several months ago. She oversaw that school's “Badgers Give Back” program and worked with Head Coach Gary Andersen in Madison.
“The 'Badgers Give Back' program was a big part of what Gary did when he was at Wisconsin,” in 2013 and 2014, Gross said. “He really believed in it.”
That commitment to public service didn't stop when Andersen was hired by the Beavers this past December.
“We had a meeting with the Boys & Girls Club and they said, 'We want you guys to be as involved as possible, you are great role models for our kids,' ” Gross said. “We will be involved on a regular basis in the future.
“The Boys and Girls Club does a lot in terms of job preparation, and have programs tailored to help the kids do well in the classroom. Our student-athletes will be there translating what we're trying to teach them through Beyond Football.
“The players are excited about it. They were ready to go today, and they're having a great time. It's a priority of Coach Andersen's to get them involved.
“It's a big component of his program, that they do well off-the-field as well as on-the-field.”
Funded by an anonymous donor and OSU alum, the Beyond Football program was started in 2012. The goal is to engage, empower and prepare OSU student-athletes for success in life, long after their playing careers are over.
The program is designed to transform student-athletes into life-long leaders by identifying their unique interests and skills; by connecting them with leaders, innovators and business professionals they may not meet otherwise; by providing real-world experiences, and by creating meaningful opportunities for businesses to engage and invest in OSU athletics.
Student-athletes enter the program immediately upon arriving on campus. They attend sessions on learning effective organizational and study skills; on decision-making; on financial literacy; on healthy nutritional choices, and on personal accountability and responsibility. They are also encouraged to take a career exploration course open to all OSU student-athletes.
“We think it is very important to be engaged with the community,” said Jason Thomas, the football team's director of operations and student services. “Partnering with the Boys & Girls Club gives our young men the opportunity to engage with the people of Corvallis.”
Boys & Girls Club CEO Helen Higgins said the kids are thrilled to personally meet players they've seen on TV or read about.
“Bringing role models – kids who are achieving at a higher level – is a great example for them,” she said. “Many of the kids who come here can't go to the games; it's not something in their normal day.
“So bringing the athletes here is an amazingly special treat for them. And the kids just pull the athletes in right away, to the foosball or the ping pong … the kids are welcoming to the players in this environment.
“Before they leave, the players will all be asked, 'Are you coming back?' We are thrilled to have them here.”
OSU Marketing, Groups & Community Engagement Coordinator Carlos Garcia accompanied the players to the event. The Corvallis High graduate was a fixture at the Boys & Girls Club in his youth; he considers himself living proof OSU athletes can be a crucial ingredient in the recipe for a successful life.
“During my years here, one player who was here a lot was hard-hittin' Harvey Whiten,” Garcia said, recalling the safety from Compton, Calif., who lettered in 2003 before injuries ended a promising career.
Garcia had just moved to Corvallis and discovered a new safe haven at the Boys & Girls Club when he met Whiten, who became one of OSU athletes who had an “amazing” impact on Garcia's life at an impressionable age.
“People don't realize it but [OSU athletes like Whiten] are role models for us,” Garcia said. “Especially for me, growing up in Southern California and moving up here … they helped me see that going to college could be a reality, that I could keep furthering my education.
“To have those positive role models in here, playing games with us, imparting words of wisdom, really made a difference.”
Alumni and community members can give feedback or get involved in Beyond Football by contacting program director Scott Spiegelberg at scott.spiegelberg@oregonstate.edu, or by contacting Gross at kayla.gross@oregonstate.edu.
Beyond Football is part of OSU's larger effort to incorporate enhancing, compelling leadership programs into the total student-athlete experience. To contribute, contact Our Beaver Nation at http://ourbeavernation.com/, or by calling 541-737-2370.
