Thirty players and coaches from the Lake Gibson High School football team, the Braves, demonstrated their commitment to the community during a day of service at One More Child’s Harold Clark Simmons Compassion Center in Lakeland, Florida, displaying the team’s understanding of the importance of giving back to the local community that wholeheartedly supports them.
Usually shoulder-to-shoulder on the football field, this time the Braves lined up for Lakeland...
“It was good for them to see what organizations like yours do for our community and to open their eyes to the fact that there is a great need in our community and many others throughout the United States for organizations like One More Child,” said Coach Richard Pringle.
The Harold Clark Compassion Center serves the local community through food provisions, a clothing boutique, parenting classes, and more. The Braves Football players and coaches participated in various activities while they served there including sorting through donated canned goods to remove expired items and putting together baby care packages.
“We do have people at our school who have benefited from the program,” Pringle said, “so it’s kind of self-serving in that it does serve our own community needs.”
According to Coach Pringle, the service opportunity received a positive response from the players, and the team plans to serve together again. Additionally, parents also eagerly support a repeat event.
“…I actually had parents of the kids who had to work or had other things going on that have said, ‘Hey, the next time you do that, I will make sure no matter what that my son is there because they need to understand that it takes a community to build a community,'” Pringle said.
The event was initiated by two of the Braves players’ parents, who organized the service event on their days off, exemplifying the team’s core values of servant leadership and community involvement.
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Your organization can partner with One More Child to serve your community like the Braves Football team. Learn how One More Child’s Every Child Every City can help you get involved in the community where you live, or you can help us reach one more child or struggling family with a donation to support our programs.