April 24, 2013
STANFORD, Calif. - On Sunday, Stanford continued its Cardinal for the Community campaign hosting the second annual Field Day.
The event took place on a beautiful day with over 90 kids from local community organizations, which include GOALS, East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring, The Shelter Network, and the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula. The kids had a great opportunity to speak and have fun with an abundance of Cardinal student-athletes throughout the day.
"Today was an amazing experience for these kids," said program Director Kelly Burke from Stanford GOALS. "Our organization looks forward to field day every year. The kids in our program gain so much by spending the day with the student-athletes, especially the importance of being active and healthy, and working hard to achieve their goals."
Field Day had 45 athletes across 10 sports on hand to partake in the day's activities, featuring Women's Soccer, Football, Men's Golf, Wrestling, Track and Field, Squash, Women's Cross Country, Sailing and Men's Swimming. The event featured activity stations with football and soccer, in addition to stressing the importance of teamwork in team building games such as relay races and group tag. The event seeks to not just show kids the importance of physical fitness, but how enjoyable it can be in the process.
"This year we have been participating in one C4C event each quarter," said senior Steve Kearney, who organized the participation of Men's Golf. "In years past, we have done community service events here and there, but they were usually difficult to organize with our busy schedule. C4C events are great because there are three every quarter and usually close to campus, which makes it possible for our entire team to participate together."
Ten of the 11 golfers ran around engaging with kids and tackling foam obstacles in football as well as scoring goals in the soccer scrimmage, all under the 85 degree heat.
"When I was a student athlete, I wish we would have done more community service," said The Knowles Family Director of Golf Conrad Ray, who played golf for the Cardinal from 1994-1997. "I think we tried to get involved in some local golf clinics and help out with some junior golf around the area. We are always appreciative of the opportunities we have and that motivates all of us, as coaches and student-athletes to be more involved in the community and do what we can do to give back to the game."
Stanford will look to continue this impact in the future and stress the importance of physical fitness at Field Day. The campaign hosts one more event this year with Swim with Mike at the Avery Aquatics Center on May 11.
"At first it can seem a little daunting to take three hours out of a Sunday when it's our only day off," Kearney said. "But after seeing how much these kids enjoy just being around Stanford athletes, we can all agree that it is worth the effort. There aren't many programs that allow 8-year-old kids to practice their touchdown dances while having Rose Bowl winning football players hollering and cheering them on."
"The kids have so much energy," said sophomore football player Jordan Richards. "They are just so excited to be here and for us, the day is a great time."
The student-athletes served as group leaders and mentors speaking with kids about college and what it takes to achieve your goals at a high-level. In just a three-hour time frame, an immediate impact and connection comes between the kids and the student-athletes.
"These events are a perfect way to become involved because they bring our team closer together and allow us to interact with kids who really admire us," Kearney said. "It's a real bonding experience and we look forward to keeping the tradition going with the years to come."
"This year's Field Day was the biggest one since I've been here," said senior soccer player and Cardinal Council Service chair Annie Case. "Getting to know all of the amazing kids who came out today was such a powerful experience. It really shows how much of an impact this type of experience can have on kids and motivates all of us to be positive role models in our community."
About Cardinal for the Community: The Cardinal for the Community connects Stanford student-athletes with community groups to build sustainable partnerships and support the surrounding community. C4C began in August 2011, and is supported by Stanford Athletics and the Haas Center for Public Service. For more information click here (gostanford.com/community).
About Our Partner Organizations:
About Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula: The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula provides places where young people aged 6-18 are welcome and can belong after school and all day during the summer within East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Redwood City. For more information, click here (bgcp.org).
About InnVision Shelter Network: InnVision Shelter Network is committed to assisting homeless families and individuals across the San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley gain permanent housing. For more information, click here (ivsn.org).
About GOALS: Stanford GOALS is a research initiative aims to control and reduce weight gain in our youth, specifically targeting 7-11 year-old children across the Menlo Park area. The Stanford Prevention Research Center teamed up with the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula to promote healthier lifestyles. For more information, click here (http://med.stanford.edu/sprc/goals/index.html).
About East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring: In conjunction with Stanford and the Taube Family Tennis Stadium, EPATT is a non-profit organization for K-12th grade students promoting academic and athletic achievement. For more information, click here (epatt.net).
Follow @StanfordMGolf on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates and quotes from the team. Get to know the players and the program through the daily features at facebook.com/StanfordMensGolf