Building Perspective
La Verne Student-Athletes Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity
Service is identified as a core value in the University’s mission statement. During a bye week in their 2009 season schedule, members of the Leopard football team traded their helmets and shoulder pads for hammers and saws and volunteered to help a local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity build a house.
More than 20 La Verne student-athletes labored in triple-digit temperatures to assist in the completion of a home being built at Fairplex in Pomona during this year’s Los Angeles County Fair.
“We had an opportunity to help out and we were definitely appreciative of the opportunity to lend a hand,” said head football coach Andy Ankeny. “The players really enjoyed the experience to serve the community.”
This was not the football program’s first involvement with Habitat for Humanity and its efforts to provide safe and affordable housing to low-income families worldwide. Last spring, the Leopards pitched in to help construct a home in Chino.
“It’s a very rewarding experience to be able to help,” said sophomore lineman Kyle Appleford, one of the student-athletes involved in the project at Fairplex. “It really puts things in perspective and more people appreciate us outside of football.”
Despite temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, Appleford said he and his teammates remained focused on their task. “We definitely had some hot days, but given the circumstances we had no reason to complain. It’s all about helping a family in need.”
These projects are not intended to serve as a team-building exercise. Coach Ankeny sees such efforts as a way of opening his players’ eyes to the challenges others face in today’s world.
“Habitat for Humanity has been a great way for our team to get involved with the community,” Ankeny said. “We always want to put our players in situations where we can give something back. This (helping to build a house) is a much more meaningful and worthwhile project that will help a very deserving family. In the grand scheme of things we can have a positive impact on society.”
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