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NCAA Student-Athletes To Spend An Afternoon Of Learning And Fun With At-Risk Youth In THINK Together After-School Program

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, July 13, 2005


 Contact(s)
Jennifer Kearns Associate Director of Public and Media Relations 317/917-6117

SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA---Members of the NCAA�s Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAACs) will volunteer their time Thursday, July 14, to work with about 200 Santa Ana, California, students who participate in the THINK (Teaching, Helping, Inspiring, Nurturing Kids) Together after-school program at Heninger Elementary School.

These student-athletes from across the United States will conduct meetings in conjunction with the NCAA Division I, II and III Management Council meetings. This is the third year that the NCAA SAAC members have chosen to work with THINK Together. The program at Heninger Elementary is a collaboration between THINK Together and the Santa Ana Unified School District.

For the student-athletes, projects such as this provide the opportunity to serve various communities and discuss the importance of not only athletics, but education, to potential future student-athletes.

"The opportunity to reach out to a child, even if it is only for a few hours, is an amazing experience," said Michael Piscetelli, vice-chair of Division I SAAC and a track and field student-athlete at Wake Forest University. "Student-athletes are tremendous assets in terms of communicating to children the need to pursue education as well as the lifelong benefits that can be yielded from following through with their schooling. For the national SAAC, the value of education is held with the highest regard. The ability to connect with the children one-on-one is a chance we look forward to taking advantage of in regards to expressing the importance of education and the countless opportunities it will bring forth later in life."

Randy Barth, executive director for THINK Together said, "It�s a wonderful opportunity to introduce our students to high quality role models. These student-athletes are the cream of the crop. Some may have even come from disadvantaged backgrounds like the students they will be visiting with." Barth continues, "This event is a wonderful way to encourage our students, who often encounter difficulty in the classroom, to pursue higher education by exposing them to college level student-athletes who are motivated in school and in life."

The Heninger students will participate in a rotation of activities to include one-on-one homework help provided by the NCAA volunteers followed by a round of sports activities where these student-athletes will have the opportunity to show off their skills by sharing drills and sports tips. The event will conclude with a "pep talk" presented by the top member student-athletes about the challenges they face and the opportunities offered in college.


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