La Sierra’s athletics teams uplift others with holiday outreach

On Nov. 26, Golden Eagles soccer players delivered bags of groceries for Thanksgiving meals and grocery store gift cards to two Riverside families in need. Both men’s and women’s soccer teams participated in the outreach activity, raising funds among themselves to pay for the food items and gift cards. The team connected with the families through Path of Life Ministries, said Coach Jesse Olivas. “They raised the money and helped with the shopping before delivering the food to the families. We delivered the items two days before Thanksgiving,” he said.

Also during November, the Golden Eagles men’s baseball team and Coach Gabriel Gamboa collected between 80 and 100 toys and gift cards and delivered them as Christmas presents on Dec. 6 for young patients of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic in San Bernardino, an outpatient service of Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. The clinic’s patients, who range in age from infants to 24 years old, arrive for various types of treatments including chemotherapy infusions. This year’s donation was the team’s third annual toy drive for the clinic. Thirty student-athletes helped deliver the bounty.

“We at the clinic can never thank these young men and their coaches enough for coming to the clinic,” said Kim Acosta Cruz, child life specialist. “The smiles they bring to the kids’ faces is immeasurable. Chronic illness takes away so much from the families, both emotionally and monetarily, and having a donation like this raises spirits and fills hearts. Everyone had such a great time and we truly appreciate it.”

Golden Eagles athletes also assisted with the  8th Annual Young Adult Holiday Celebration on Dec. 10 organized by Riverside County’s Children’s Services department for young adults in foster care. La Sierra University hosted the event at the Alumni Pavilion gymnasium. The celebration, which involved numerous community and faith-based groups, was organized for young adults ages 18-21 who are segueing from extended foster care to independent living, according to a county services release. The event included a photo booth, games and holiday decorating stations. La Sierra University President Joy Fehr served as keynote speaker.

La Sierra University Golden Eagles women’s basketball players were on hand for the festivities and tweeted a team photo celebrating the occasion with the hashtags #ServantLeadership and #ItsBiggerThanBasketball. 

Golden Eagles athletics, as part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, has implemented the NAIA Champions of Character initiative toward a holistic approach to student-athlete development. "Through these outreach activities our student athletes learn the NAIA five core values of the Champions of Character program -- integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership," said Athletics Director Javier Krumm. "The NAIA developed the Champions of Character program in response to the growing problem of deteriorating standards of integrity in sports and society, so we are happy to develop activities [that] educate our students."