Brescia Athletes Volunteer at Foust Elementary
Players volunteer to read and impove the grounds of the Owensboro elementary school.
The Brescia University Athletic Department and Foust Elementary School have formed a partnership with the intention of promoting literacy and a love for reading through an afterschool reading club called Rocket Readers.
To kick off the initiative, Brescia will be donating $300 towards the purchase of books for the Rocket Reader Club members.
The donation was made possible through a Champions of Character grant sponsored by the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, of which Brescia is a member.
"The KIAC is one of the first conferences in the country to provide funds for its members to use for community service," BU Athletic Director Jeff Falkner said. "We thought it would be a great way to build on an already existing relationship we have with Foust Elementary."
For the past several years Brescia athletes and students in the Education program have participated in a Foust workday to improve conditions in the school's courtyard. Volunteers help by pulling weeds, digging up dead plants and removing old landscaping.
"Foust Elementary is extremely thankful for the many volunteers who have pitched in to help us with our courtyard project," Foust Family Resource Coordinator Rachel Mason said. "The hours of hard work the volunteers from Brescia put in have brought the courtyard to the point where the students, faculty and staff are able to use it on a daily basis."
Addison Rouse, a senior at Brescia, said that volunteering at Foust was a great experience to share with his fellow student-athletes.
"It's nice to know that we're making a difference," he said. "Helping others makes you appreciate what you have and it's rewarding to work with your peers on something outside of athletics."
The Rocket Readers Club, which will begin this fall, pairs Foust Elementary students with mentors from the Brescia Athletic Department. The mentors will meet with their students on a weekly basis to read books, promote education and encourage the students to work hard toward achieving their goals.
"Without the help of others throughout my life I wouldn't have had the opportunity to go to college and play baseball," junior Johnny Merrill said. "I'm looking forward to hopefully being that kind of influence in someone else's life."
# # #