by Griffin Powell

On Thursday, October 26, a few Greensboro College Pride sports teams took a visit to Pearce Elementary in Summerfield, NC. Over 40 members from the men’s basketball, women’s basketball and football teams travelled to read to various classrooms and stress the importance of reading. The Collegian had the chance to ask athletes who took part volunteering in the reading day on what type of impact this truly means for the community.  

Being split into groups of four to ten different classrooms, each athlete had the opportunity to read to four kids who chose them to read to the group specifically. After being split into groups, each kid received a book called “The Hog Mollies and the Amazing Aquatic Adventure.” This book stresses not judging people by their outward appearance and instead looking deeper into a person’s interests, so that you may realize you have more in common with them than you might have previously thought. This moral was emphasized greatly, as kids typically nowadays have a tougher time making friends than they once did.  

The Collegian had the opportunity to speak with freshman basketball player Zephaniah Jones on what kind of impact being an athlete has on the kids and the community. When asked about the impact he made he says, “I felt like I made an impact on them for not only that day but also leaving an imprint on their lives as well. The kids were super engaged the entire time and I think that comes as being an athlete by using your platform and status to get a message across.” Jones also added, “It feels good leaving knowing you made a positive impact on a kid’s life, because you truly do not know what they are going through outside the classroom.” 

Being an athlete comes with its perks and essentials, but sometimes you can use the platform to make someone feel special. This event was a great way to get kids to engage in reading outside of the classroom, and the GC Pride athletes who volunteered did a great job at making this known to the Pearce Elementary students.