Sports Brief: FCA hosts annual spring fund-raiser

On Thursday, April 15, the Memphis chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes will hold its annual banquet at the Memphis Hilton. The purpose of the non-profit organization’s event is to raise money to fund their activities for the Memphis area sports teams. University of Georgia’s head football coach Mark Richt will attend as a guest speaker.

Individual tickets cost $80 and will be mailed to purchasers ahead of time. For more information one can visit www.memphisfca.org/.

Student athletes get in the spirit

The stereotypical jock cares about nothing but the sport. He or she stays late after school for practice, travels all over for games and tournaments, and works hard to build a better body. Athletes who care about their spiritual well-being as much as their physical well-being are rare.

Not so much at Bartlett High School.

At Bartlett, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes boasts 93 members who serve the community. This year, they collected money for turkeys for needy families on Thanksgiving.

“We raised $1400 and fed 25 families for Thanksgiving,” said Coach Amye Patterson, the FCA sponsor.

In addition to performing community service, athletes in FCA seek to enhance their spiritual lives.

Last summer, Bartlett United Methodist Church hosted an FCA Team Camp for the Bartlett High School Football team. They worked out and went to chapel, and in the end the majority agreed that it helped the team.

“It was a great experience, we had well over half the team convert on that trip, and it was just fun being with the team all weekend,” said sophomore Matthew Webb.

FCA has started a website similar to Myspace for FCA members called FCAlife.com. To begin FCAlife.com, FCA partnered up with Tangle.com, an online community for Christians, and created a place where coaches and athletes can interact safely with one another.

Also, FCA has introduced OneWay2Play (OW2P), a campaign which encourages student athletes to stay drug and alcohol free. OW2P attempts to confront drug and alcohol use by instilling values such as faith, accountability, commitment, and positive peer pressure so that athletes can perform to the best of their ability.

Patterson said she enjoys heading this club because she likes to see the impact it has on the student’s lives.

“I like watching how young men and ladies have an impact for Christ and show His light on campus,” Patterson said.

At Bartlett, FCA meetings are held every Wednesday morning with Patterson. Speakers come and talk to students while they enjoy breakfast.

“It’s a good way to learn without being in a church setting,” said Webb

FCA offers its support for athletes who want to fortify their faith as well as their muscles.

News Brief: School organizations volunteer this holiday season

Thanksgiving and Christmas are drawing near, and in light of the recent economic downturn, many families will need assistance with providing food for their families.  In order to help with the cause, numerous school organizations are getting involved in community service this holiday season. 

Recently, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) collected donations to help give less fortunate families in downtown Memphis a turkey dinner this Thanksgiving.  Thanks to everyone’s help and donations FCA was able to collect $1400 and give 25 families dinner.

Volunteers from the Key Club recently worked at Shelby Farms to set up for Starry Nights, a Christmas light exhibit.  Hayrides are available for those who want to view the lights, or they can drive through in their own car.  Key Clubbers will also work the actual event, which benefits Shelby Farms Park.  Starry Nights begins November 27 and ends January 2; tickets are $25 per car, $35 for shuttles, $50 for minibuses, and $150 for motor coaches.

The Enchanted Forest, another event for Key Club volunteers, features gingerbread houses, peppermint houses, Christmas trees, and animated animals at the Pink Palace Museum; at the end there sits jolly old Saint Nicholas, with whom children can take pictures.  All of the proceeds go to Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center.  The Enchanted Forest will be open from 9-5 p.m. on Nov. 27 and will continue through Dec. 24. Admission will be $5 for adults and $4 for senior citizens (60 and up) and children (3-12).  Pictures with Santa will cost $10.

Every year, the Student Council Association manages the Bellamy Basket Philanthropy Project, encouraging clubs and classes to put together baskets filled with household necessities for 20-25 needy families who will receive them in December.

A list of required items for these baskets is available in the guidance office.  Interested clubs and classed need to turn their baskets and lists in to Mrs. Pesce or Ms. Igielinski in the guidance office by Dec. 2.  SCA asks clubs not to wrap their baskets.

From now until Dec. 4, the Band Boosters are collecting new, unwrapped toys for all ages for the United States Marine Corps Toys for Tots program.  Anyone interested in donating toys should place them in the designated box in the main office.  All help and donations are welcome and are greatly appreciated. 

Helping out by either giving donations or volunteering for a holiday event, such as the Enchanted Forest, will help make everyone’s holidays better and more enjoyable.