Bruin stars get involved in campus service programs

  Courtesy of Jana Adams Former UCLA basketball team member
Todd Ramasar lifts a child up to the basket in
community project.

By David Blood
Daily Bruin Contributor

Athletes at UCLA are admired for their talent and phenomenal
athletic ability, but there is a side to them that usually goes
unnoticed even by the most avid fan.

We may see the spectacular plays and the sea of camera flashes
surrounding the athletes, but sometimes it is behind the scenes
where the athletes have an even greater impact on their fans.
Community service projects throughout the year give the sports
teams an opportunity to touch lives and give something back to the
community that has given them so much support.

On top of the regular athletic commitments, Bruin athletes are
required to help with the “I’m Going to College”
program, which allows underprivileged children a chance to see UCLA
and spend time with the athletes. In addition, each player is also
required to choose one other community service project sometime
during the year, and many teams opt to do more than the
minimum.

According to Frank Stevens, athletic department director of
student services, the community service requirement for UCLA
athletes was unofficially instated five years ago, but it has been
upscaled in the past three years to include every team.

The children leave with unforgettable memories of their favorite
athlete ““ a testament to the importance of the community
service projects.

“My little brother still talks about it,” said Jama
Adams, a fourth-year political science student and assistant
director of the “I’m Going to College” program.
Adams is referring to the participation by the men’s
basketball team during Lil’ Siblings Weekend at the dorms.
“They lifted my six-year old brother up to the baskets to
make him feel he was big like them and could score a
basket.”

Adams admitted that some athletes are reluctant to participate
at first. They may not realize the full impact they have on their
fans, but after getting involved in service projects and seeing the
changes they can make, many athletes grow to love the interaction
with the community.

“Getting to actually meet the kids is really fun,”
said Carly Raab, a sophomore on the gymnastic team.

Earlier this year, Raab and the other gymnasts took part in
exchanging pen-pal letters with elementary school children.
“The kids see us on posters and think of us as
celebrities,” Raab said. “It is fun to see them get
excited.”

Last November the Athletic Department and the athletes went
head-to-head in a food drive competition. In the end, both sides
claimed victory, and judging by the number of needy people that
were helped by the community service project, they were both
right.

UCLA TEAMS AND SERVICE PROJECTS Here is a
sampling of some of the community service projects that various
UCLA teams have participated in this year.    Men’s
Basketball Swimming/Diving Women’s Golf Men’s Golf Women’s Soccer
Women’s Track Men’s Tennis City of Hope, UCLA Medical Center One
Incredible Family, Special Olympics Maryvale Orphanage Buick Open
Revlon Walk Read Across America Clinics given to local children
SOURCE: Frank Stevens Original graphic by VICTOR CHEN/Daily Bruin
Web adaptation by SHARIF ELCOTT