Being able to give back to the community is an important and rewarding goal of the Illinois State Athletics Department and its student-athletes. Since May 1, representatives of Redbird Athletics have taken time to participate in the RICHER program, a branch of the NCAAs Stay in Bounds program, at Glenn Elementary School in Normal, Ill.
The program, which was organized by Assistant Athletics Director of Academics & Life Skills Jane Fulton, began on Wednesday, May 1, with a presentation on respect by ISU golfer Albiona Zhubi and softball pitcher Corey Harris. Presentations were given in Cathy Bissoondial and Sheryl Rosenbergers sixth grade classes at Glenn Elementary each school day through Friday, May 10, and the program concluded on Friday, May 17, with a field trip to the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis, Ind.
The RICHER program taught the (elementary) students how to be a total person, said Fulton. Being a total person is about disciplining yourself in the personal, social, physical and emotional aspects of your life. It also gave our student-athletes a chance to give back to the community and share what it takes to be both a student-athlete and a champion.
RICHER, which stands for Respect, Integrity, Caring, Harmony, Excellence, and Responsibility, not only showed children the athletic side of college athletics, but also illustrated the administrative side.
Larry Lyons, Associate Athletics Director of Finance, gave a presentation on the process of preparing a travel voucher for an athletic trip. Galen Scott, an assistant football coach at ISU, talked about what it takes to be a coach. Branden Adkins, a graduate assistant in athletic academic advisement, highlighted the other types of staff needed to support an athletics program.
Jill Rachford, who recently concluded her academic and athletic career as a Redbird golfer, attended the field trip to Indianapolis and felt the children understood the amount of dedication it takes to be a student-athlete.
One of the features of the visit was a film they showed about a day in the life of a student-athlete from Stanford, said Rachford. It not only highlighted the dedication and responsibilities of a NCAA student-athlete, but showed it in a way that related to the childrens lifestyles. Overall, I think the children enjoyed the day.
