NCCAA Participants Begin Tournament With Service Projects
Posted
Deb McAuliffe Sprong-
Sixteen teams from National Christian College Athletic Association schools arrive today with one thought on their mind: Basketball. Well, that might be what brings them here, but that’s not their only purpose. Before the NCCAA tournament kicks off Wednesday, the eight men’s and eight women’s teams will participate in communitywide service projects. The service project day is a requirement by the NCCAA for its annual tourney, says Chad Briscoe, Grace College athletic director. “That made it real easy to sell it to our community,” he said. Many of the athletes will be helping out at local elementaries on Tuesday, doing anything from classroom activities to playing with kids in P.E. “Every school does it differently, based on different initiatives or class planning,” he said. 2017 is the ninth consecutive year NCCAA teams have been involved with service projects in Kosciusko County. Past years’ activities have included reading to students in their classrooms, painting or drawing alongside students in their art classes, and even helping with ISTEP prep. Athletes also have shared with students the importance of getting good grades and staying in school — a message that takes on new meaning coming from a college athlete. “Kids will come back and watch a game because of the team that came to their school,” Briscoe said, adding that they often interact with players after a game, giving a high-five or getting an autograph. “It can have a great impact on their life.” The athletes who don’t visit a school get involved in other ways. Athletes have spent time visiting with residents of Miller’s Merry Manor, playing games and even cleaning; met with moms and kids at Heartline Pregnancy Center, where they might also box up supplies or clean; and packaged food at Combined Community Services or the Salvation Army. The following locations will be the site of service projects on Tuesday: • Leesburg Elementary, Roberts Wesleyan College (New York) women. • Eisenhower Elementary, Dallas Baptist University men. • Warsaw Christian School, Bluefield College, (Virginia) women. • Harrison Elementary, Southwestern Christian University (Oklahoma) women. • Washington STEM Academy, Central Baptist College (Arkansas) men. • Grace Village, Ohio Christian University men. • Lakeland Christian, Life Pacific College (California) men. • Claypool Elementary, Grace College women. • Miller’s Merry Manor, Mid-America Christian University (Oklahoma) women. • Salvation Army, Emmanuel College (Georgia) women. • Heartline Pregnancy Center, Greenville College (Illinois) women. • Lincoln Elementary, Crowley’s Ridge College (Arkansas) women. • Kiddie Kollege, Hiwassee College (Tennessee) men. • Combined Community Services, Grace College men; Colorado Christian University men were originally scheduled to go to CCS but they were delayed by weather. • Jefferson Elementary, Emmanuel College (Georgia) men • Madison Elementary, Grace College men.
