HU Athletes Volunteer As Coaches For Disabled Youth

With a new emphasis on giving back, HU athletes are gradually moving into areas of the District in search of ways to help the community. This past rainy and cold Saturday afternoon, Howard athletes explored their coaching skills with children that have mental and physical disabilities through a sports program hosted by KEEN Greater DC at St. Coletta High School in southeast.

Kids Enjoy Exercise Now is a non-profit organization that caters to children and young adults that suffer from mental and physical disabilities by providing free recreational activities for them.

 Coach volunteers from local universities interact with the kids and help them gain social skills and self-confidence. KEEN recently started inviting more schools to get involved including Howard University. Beth Wegner, the programs manager, was ecstatic to bring in Howard for their D.C. programs.

 "Them being with these kids opens their eyes, widens their minds, and they help them grow as people," Wegner said.

 Three women on the Howard Women's Basketball team travelled to St. Coletta to play their favorite sport with the kids.  Tamoria Holmes, Kara Smith and Julee' O'Neal spent a couple hours teaching kids how to shoot and dribble. The Howard coaches for the day ran around the gym with the kids entertaining their every move.

 "I think [Howard] is getting better," Holmes, a junior physical therapy major and HU women's basketball point guard said in regards to Howard communicating community service opportunities to students.

"Our freshman year, we never heard anything about activities outside of Howard or doing things to help out disabled kids."

 Not only are the kids affected but the parents are as well. Adrian Pugh, a Howard alumna, was excited to see Howard volunteers for the first time in the few years she and her son have spent with KEEN. Pugh graduated with a psychology degree in 1991.  She also received her Masters degree from Howard focusing on Education Psychology in 1998. When the Howard alumna was asked about how she felt about Howard athletes volunteering with her son, she had great things to say.

 "I think the Howard community giving back is great," she said. "This is the first time that they are here and I'm happy Beth finally got the process completed. Not many people of our color are coming to our community to help our kids and it's important that they do and continue to do it."

 The smiles on the kids' faces were enough to illuminate the gym throughout the day's events along with their carefree and happy attitudes. Excitement was escaping from the coordinators, parents, athletes and children. Wegner said that above all, the participation of the coach volunteers, including Howard, is what makes the program so successful.

 "Everyone fits in at KEEN. We need more people to come out and support and really be these kids friends," she said.