Dec. 13, 2006
ATLANTA – With three days remaining in Georgia Tech’s fall semester final exams week, 13 student-athletes took study breaks Tuesday evening to spend time at the Hillside Foster Care Home, delivering over $900 in gift cards and more than 75 toys to over 70 kids that live on the campus.
The Yellow Jacket student-athletes used the $985 that they collected at one of the three Toy Drives during the season to purchase $10 gift cards for all 76 kids, as well as additional $50 gift cards for the future use by the Hillside Foster Care Home. In addition, the Georgia Tech contingent delivered more than 75 toys for Hillside Staff to hand out for Christmas and upcoming birthdays.
“It is always impressive when student-athletes use their valuable time to help others,” said Rob Skinner, advisor for the Georgia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board. “And with this organization in particular, I think that there is a potential for collaboration in the future.”
The Georgia Tech student-athletes met kids ranging from the ages of 7-16 that invited the Yellow Jackets to return for sporting activities and events that they have scheduled for the spring. The group from Tech was eager to take the Hillside group up on their challenge.
“Our group expressed an interest in returning to spend time participating in the activities with the kids we met, and hopefully we will have the opportunity to take them up on the challenge,” said Skinner.
The Tech athletes that were in attendance Tuesday night included Michael Fisher (baseball), Hannah Ralston (cheerleading), Kristina Hull and Becky McCraw (softball), Alison Silverio, Kristi Miller and David North (tennis), Taylor Narewski and Matt DiDia (track and field) and Allie Niekamp, Erin Birmingham, Nikki Kaminskas and Brittany Roderick (volleyball).
“I couldn’t say enough about the Georgia Tech student-athletes and their volunteer efforts this semester. This is just the capstone of a record-breaking semester of community service activities, all organized by our Student-Athlete Advisory Board members.”
A list of Georgia Tech’s Student-Athlete Advisory Board Activities and the teams that were represented this semester is as follows:
Atlanta Community Food Bank (men’s track and field)
Team BUZZ (baseball, cheerleading, m/w cross country/track and field, golf, softball, m/w swimming and diving, m/w tennis)
Three Toy Drives (baseball, cheerleading, m/w cross country/track and field, golf, softball, m/w swimming and diving, m/w tennis, volleyball)
H.E.R.O. For a Day (men’s basketball, cheerleading, women’s track and field)
Hillside Foster Care Home (baseball, cheerleading, softball, m/w tennis, men’s track and field, volleyball)
