Wrapping Up September

Mark your calendars:

• Kinston High School and Webb Tyndall have asked STS to return for a second camp on January 30, 2010. We are pumped to return to the school and work with the same great people we grew to love in May 2009.

• Charlotte Christian Academy has invited us to host our FIRST baseball camp in February 2010! Reid Fronk, our Baseball Director, will be arranging and organizing for this camp so contact him at reidfronk@sportsthatserve.com for more details. We are excited to see STS grow into a multi-sport camp.
  

Below is a brief description from Rob Shields about an awesome opportunity the STS staff had to serve recently in Chapel Hill…

This past Friday, STS had the privilege of working with Jimbo Perry, as he brought some inner city kids from Kinston up to Chapel Hill. STS Staff members Rob Shields, Nicole Keegan, Chris Blackmon and Cody Pate all volunteered as “Buddies”, serving as tour guides of UNC’s campus for children from Southeast Elementary School. The day started on the steps of Wilson Library with UNC Student Boy President, Jasmine Jones, and concluded at The Dean Dome, where the kids got to tour the new basketball museum. The kids were also in for a surprise, as several players from the JV Basketball Team met them at the museum and spoke with the kids about the importance of developing good study habits and working hard to achieve their goals.

For the STS Staff, it was an awesome opportunity to continue to grow our relationship with kids from the inner city of Kinston. Hanging out with those kids all afternoon served as a reminder of what we are striving to accomplish through this ministry.

I know for me personally, I was reminded how much all children are created with a need to be loved. At the beginning of the tour, I was assigned to be buddies with a 3rd grader named Shaquan. I knew I had a special kid when I noticed he had a star shaved into his hair. Initially, Shaquan kept his distance, choosing to roam around and explore on his own. While other kids were clinging to their buddies in a strange new environment, Shaquan would wander off in his own little world, eager to see what was around the next corner. As a volunteer, I was trying my best to become his friend, but it seemed he wasn’t interested. But as the afternoon wore on, I noticed a change in him. While he was still a handful to keep up with, (the kid was fast!) by the end of the day we were inseparable. So much so, that when it was time for the kids to head back to Kinston, and each child was given $5 in lunch money, Shaquan turned to another adult volunteer, pointed at me and said “I can get a cheeseburger for me, and one for him”.

Shaquan is why we do what we do. This little 3rd grade boy from inner city Kinston with the star shaved hair cut is now my real Buddy. And showing love to kids just like him is what Sports That Serve is all about.

-Rob


To see more pictures from our fun filled day at UNC, check out the web album here.


Also, if you’re interested in getting to know this awesome group of kids from Kinston, sign up to help with our camp at Kinston High on January 30th!