Dec. 3, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
The objective for the organization Athletes for a Better World (ABW) is to win more than the game. With his countless community service efforts, Illinois State senior Luke Drone is a community servant and he has led the Redbirds to victory a number of times as well. As a result of his dedication, Drone was named one of 14 semifinalists for the prestigious Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, as announced by the ABW national office Monday.
The Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup is presented to two distinguished athletes from any sport - one intercollegiate and one professional - that best display character, teamwork, and citizenship, the attributes ABW deems central to transforming individuals, sport and society. The award establishes the recipients as athletes of excellence, both on-and-off the field; and role models, both as performers and persons; the most important and distinctive honor athletes can achieve.
Drone, a 2006 Gateway Football Conference First-Team All-Conference selection, promoted and participated in the American Red Cross Blood Drive for the past three years. He has also been involved with the Harvest of Hope Food Drive during his time at Illinois State, helping to collect canned goods and non-perishable food items.
The Mt. Carmel, Ill., native also helped raise $200,000 in the Bloomington-Normal community for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Drone is actively involved in the Boys and Girls Club and has spent time building houses for underprivileged families in Juarez, Mexico. He has also provided service at the Dilkon Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona.
Joining Drone as semifinalists were Summer Ragsdale (soccer), Auburn University; Noah Van Niel (football), Harvard University; Keion Kindred (basketball), Missouri Western State University; Stephanie Swiger (volleyball), Bowling Green State University; Tim Jepson (soccer), Duke University; Mallika Raghavan (tennis), Bates College; Jacob Tamme (football), University of Kentucky; Brianna O'Donnell (field hockey), University of North Carolina; Brady Brink (basketball), St. John's University; Darryl Richard (football), Georgia Institute of Technology; Stephanie Cole (softball), Grand Valley State University; Kristi Miller (tennis), Georgia Institute of Technology; and Nic Harris (football), University of Oklahoma
In order to be nominated for the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, the athlete must exemplify these values: train with a disciplined, consistent work ethic; demonstrate fair play and sportsmanship; develop positive supportive relationships with teammates and coaches; win or lose with grace and dignity; and contribute significantly to society through the gifts of time or money
