SE: K-State SAAC’s Adopt-A-Family Program a Rewarding Experience for Wildcat Student-Athletes
Dec 19, 2017 | Sports Extra, Athletics
By Corbin McGuire
As K-State's Ben Fernandez and Will Brennan walked up a pair of bikes, Meghan King, Reid Isaac and Laura Clement carried armfuls of presents. The woman the five Wildcat student-athletes were walking toward, who spoke mostly Spanish and wore a purple K-State shirt, sported a smile that needed no translation.
A Christmas tree inside, with nothing under it before, became surrounded by presents. A holiday for a family of four, including three children, became uplifted.
"It was really sweet. She had pictures of her kids up on the walls, so I was kind of looking at her face and looking at the pictures of her children," Clement, a senior for rowing, said of delivering the presents last week, the final piece in K-State Athletics SAAC's annual Adopt-A-Family program. "It just made me feel really good that our team, who is really blessed to be on a team that have things given to us, get to give back to other people. Plus, she was wearing a K-State shirt, so she looked like she really likes K-State."
"It was really cool to see that something we could contribute could bring someone else so much joy," added King, a sophomore for K-State tennis. "Because we're so blessed that we kind of forget that we should give back too and give that joy to other people."
Added Brennan, a sophomore for K-State baseball: "Seeing that reaction was pretty priceless."
For this year's Adopt-A-Family initiative, K-State student-athletes raised more than $1,700, most of which came from their pockets. Started in 2010, the program partners with Junior League of the Flint Hills, which matched K-State Athletics up with two families with a total of six children this year.
"At K-State, especially as student-athletes, we have it so good," King said. "We just feel that it's not an obligation but it's something we should do, to give to those who don't have it as good."
"It truly shows that we care about helping other people besides ourselves," added Brennan. "I think that's what being a student-athlete is all about, getting out into the community and helping other people besides ourselves."
K-State's student-athletes went beyond donating money too. From a list of suggested items, the Wildcats shopped for their families and later had a festive wrapping party at the West Stadium Center to give their gifts the final touch.
"I really enjoyed wrapping the gifts with everybody. It was cool to see younger girls come up and drink hot chocolate and eat cookies while we got to wrap," Clement said. "Some people had great wrapping skills. I don't, but it was nice to have the help there."
"I loved the shopping part. It's awesome shopping for others and it's exciting getting to pick out things that aren't for yourself and giving back. We're so thankful that we have so much given to us, but it's nice to give to others," Isaac, a freshman for K-State women's golf added. "It's awesome to look at all the gifts and know that this was from us. We did this as a collective group of student-athletes."
Brennan and King both said hand delivering the presents was the most rewarding part the whole experience.
"Shopping, you can do that whenever you want, but you don't really get the opportunity to deliver a gift to someone in need all that often," Brennan said. "So it was pretty cool."
"My favorite part was definitely seeing the joy that it brought her," King added. "Just how excited she got when she was talking about her kids opening the presents, and seeing her so happy about something that seemed so little for us to do."
As K-State's Ben Fernandez and Will Brennan walked up a pair of bikes, Meghan King, Reid Isaac and Laura Clement carried armfuls of presents. The woman the five Wildcat student-athletes were walking toward, who spoke mostly Spanish and wore a purple K-State shirt, sported a smile that needed no translation.
A Christmas tree inside, with nothing under it before, became surrounded by presents. A holiday for a family of four, including three children, became uplifted.
"It was really sweet. She had pictures of her kids up on the walls, so I was kind of looking at her face and looking at the pictures of her children," Clement, a senior for rowing, said of delivering the presents last week, the final piece in K-State Athletics SAAC's annual Adopt-A-Family program. "It just made me feel really good that our team, who is really blessed to be on a team that have things given to us, get to give back to other people. Plus, she was wearing a K-State shirt, so she looked like she really likes K-State."
"It was really cool to see that something we could contribute could bring someone else so much joy," added King, a sophomore for K-State tennis. "Because we're so blessed that we kind of forget that we should give back too and give that joy to other people."
???? Delivery day for adopt-a-family gifts!
— K-State Athletics (@kstatesports) December 12, 2017
Thank you to our student-athletes for making today special for families in the community pic.twitter.com/6RQN2a9utr
Added Brennan, a sophomore for K-State baseball: "Seeing that reaction was pretty priceless."
For this year's Adopt-A-Family initiative, K-State student-athletes raised more than $1,700, most of which came from their pockets. Started in 2010, the program partners with Junior League of the Flint Hills, which matched K-State Athletics up with two families with a total of six children this year.
"At K-State, especially as student-athletes, we have it so good," King said. "We just feel that it's not an obligation but it's something we should do, to give to those who don't have it as good."
"It truly shows that we care about helping other people besides ourselves," added Brennan. "I think that's what being a student-athlete is all about, getting out into the community and helping other people besides ourselves."
'Tis the season. The squad had a great time participating in the @kstatesaac Adopt-a-Family initiative. ?????#kstatemgolf pic.twitter.com/H2cF8IYATa
— K-State Men's Golf (@KStateMGolf) December 6, 2017
K-State's student-athletes went beyond donating money too. From a list of suggested items, the Wildcats shopped for their families and later had a festive wrapping party at the West Stadium Center to give their gifts the final touch.
'Tis the season to share with others#KState student-athletes wrap gifts for families in the #MHK community pic.twitter.com/3Lc6YHpZQZ
— K-State SAAC (@kstatesaac) December 5, 2017
"I really enjoyed wrapping the gifts with everybody. It was cool to see younger girls come up and drink hot chocolate and eat cookies while we got to wrap," Clement said. "Some people had great wrapping skills. I don't, but it was nice to have the help there."
Our student-athletes wrapping presents they bought for the two families that they adopted this year ?????????? #KStateStudentAthletes #AdoptAFamily #hotchocolateandcookies #ChristmasGiving pic.twitter.com/RMQEz1WuBR
— K-State SAAC (@kstatesaac) December 4, 2017
"I loved the shopping part. It's awesome shopping for others and it's exciting getting to pick out things that aren't for yourself and giving back. We're so thankful that we have so much given to us, but it's nice to give to others," Isaac, a freshman for K-State women's golf added. "It's awesome to look at all the gifts and know that this was from us. We did this as a collective group of student-athletes."
Brennan and King both said hand delivering the presents was the most rewarding part the whole experience.
"Shopping, you can do that whenever you want, but you don't really get the opportunity to deliver a gift to someone in need all that often," Brennan said. "So it was pretty cool."
"My favorite part was definitely seeing the joy that it brought her," King added. "Just how excited she got when she was talking about her kids opening the presents, and seeing her so happy about something that seemed so little for us to do."
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