Feb. 22, 2007
COLUMBUS, Ga. -
Hundreds of miles away from the communities of Bloomington and Normal where they have helped to set records for the numbers of community service hours completed, members of the Illinois State softball team proved that there is a perfect balance between work and play Thursday morning. In the area for the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Feb. 23-25, the Redbirds visited Forrest Road Elementary School to read to classrooms and interact with the children.
Illinois State softball coach Melinda Fischer believed the experience was beneficial for the kids, as well as her team.
"I think our visit assured the children at Forrest Road that positive role models are out there," said Fischer. "I went into one of the fifth grade classrooms and they asked some really good questions. I could tell by the questions they were asking Jackie (Williams) and Casey (Gorrell) that the kids were really paying attention to what the girls had to say and were listening to their message. I believe that our players are great role models for young kids.
"Going into these classrooms gives our players great experience being in front of people and gaining confidence talking to different age groups. There was great diversity and discipline at the school and our team picked up on that and were able to learn a lot from these kids."
The `Birds went into classrooms of children ranging in age from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. Spending about 45 minutes in each room, the players read books to the kids and also answered various questions asked by the wide-eyed youngsters. Several softball players also gathered in the gym at the end of the visit, playing catch and basketball with the children.
Redbird freshman Chelsea Turner hadn't participated in any community service activities before this elementary school experience.
"It was an amazing experience to travel across the country and read to such bright and adorable little kids," said Turner. "They looked up to the girls on the team as the role models we each hope to be. It touched my heart when I got to see the kids smile and got hugs from them all."
