Rocky Mount, N.C. - The North Carolina Wesleyan Department of Athletics has highlighted a variety of community service projects that our Battling Bishops undertook this fall. In addition to the department's yearly 9/11 initiative, Cans Across the Conference and elementary reading programs, several teams participated in unique projects that surely benefited our student-athletes.
Beginning with our 9th annual 9/11 initiative, Bishop student-athletes honored our local policemen and firefighters by distributing season passes for all Battling Bishop sporting events. Our softball team, for example, honored the Nashville Police and Fire Departments, while football and baseball stayed local by distributing to the fire stations on Fenner Road and Highway 4. Men's and women's basketball headed downtown to hand out their passes, volleyball traveled to Red Oak, and lacrosse visited the station on Winstead Avenue.
Then on Saturday, September 24th, our football coaches wore patches in support of "Coach to Cure MD." Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the leading childhood genetic killer of young men, affects one in 3,500 boys with no treatment or cure. "Coach to Cure MD" is an incredible way to educate the country about Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and raise money to fight this deadly opponent.
Head coach Mark Henninger and his staff joined over 400 institutions in supporting this worthy cause. College football fans can make a difference with online donations at www.CoachToCureMD.org or by giving $5 by texting CURE to 90999.
On October 4th, our men's and women's tennis teams hosted a free clinic for Rocky Mount Academy in an effort to increase their community outreach. This was in addition to the Bishops' continuous "Tennis Shoes 4 Africa" initiative.
Women's soccer joined the efforts later in the month by kicking off its successful KIX youth soccer program at area elementary schools. Our soccer Bishops also be supported Breast Cancer Awareness on October 15th, as did volleyball with its annual "Dig Pink" night.
In baseball, head coach Charlie Long and his staff expect each Bishop to complete at least 40 hours of community service over the course of the academic year. Thusfar this season, our diamond Bishops have once again be partnered with Buddy Ball and Looking Up Sports, while conducting several Little League Clinics in the area.
Buddy Ball is an organization that aids with helping handicap children learn and play the game of baseball, while Looking Up Sports is a Christian youth sports league in which several area churches are engaged. Members of the Wesleyan team officiate soccer and football games at Proctor’s Chapel and Englewood Baptist. They will also help with concessions and field maintenance as needed.
Other projects include volunteering at local soup kitchens and hosting an NCWC baseball marathon. A portion of the proceeds from the marathon, in fact, will go to help in assistant coach Kyle Bradley's efforts to establish a Christian Sports Complex/Teen Outreach Center in the Dominican Republic.
For information on any of these fall community service initiatives, please contact David Doino at 252-985-5214 or ddoino@ncwc.edu. Go Bishops!