Select Page

{nl}The Alice Lloyd College athletic program got into the Christmas spirit early by paying a visit to McDowell Elementary School in Floyd County on December 11, 2009.{nl}Despite the fact that it was just days before the start of semester exams, members of the basketball and cheerleading squads were eager to take the time to spread a little Christmas cheer to the youngsters.{nl}ALC Cheerleading coach, Mrs. Kristi Crum (who also is an instructor at McDowell), exclaimed, “The kids absolutely enjoyed the ball players and cheerleaders being at our school Friday.  One little boy said that it was the best day ever! It was very touching and made the boys and girls feel special.”{nl}The cheerleaders adopted a classroom and made sure that every child was able to have a gift bag to open that was filled with a variety of items that caused each of them to squeal with delight. Mrs. Crum stated, “The cheerleaders adopted my classroom last year and they came through again this year. The girls spent their own money buying gifts and putting treat bags together for my students. Before they left they sang Christmas carols and danced with my class.  We taught them a few of our songs, “Tooty Ta”, “My Mother is a Baker”, and we did the Cha Cha Slide. {nl}Coach JR Hammond’s basketball players used the opportunity to not only interact and play with the younger students, but to also deliver a talk to the older students about the importance of staying in school and striving for a good education. Junior Casey Dalton and sophomore Van Ferguson both stressed that education could be the way to help the students realize their future dreams.{nl}Mrs. Crum added, “Casey and Van both talked to several classes about staying in school and getting an education and making their dreams come true.” I was very proud of ALL the student-athletes, and they will never know how they made a difference in our/my students’ lives!”{nl}ALC’s participation was as a service for the “Champions of Character” program, which is unique to NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) affiliated colleges around the country. This program is used to promote five core values in the community. These values include: Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Servant Leadership, and Sportsmanship.{nl}