EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Athletic Department held its annual Christmas party on Tuesday afternoon, benefitting the Hayters Gap and Glade Spring Head Start programs. This year, 57 children were in attendance for the event in the John Rutledge King Center which featured Christmas music, presents and even a visit from Santa Claus.
“It’s great to see all of our athletes come together to help the community,” commented junior Ashlie Caldwell (Roanoke, Va.), a midfielder on the women’s soccer team. “To see the kids’ faces when they opened their gifts was awesome. I’m glad we were able to help and it felt really good to help make sure the kids had a good Christmas.”
The program began over 20 years ago when then-Head Volleyball Coach Dr. Margaret Hutson and the volleyball team adopted a family whose Christmas might not have been so merry. The spirit of giving grew and soon all of the women’s teams were participating. For the past three years, men’s sports have been included as well.
“It’s a great feeling to give back to the community which has given so much to us,” added senior men’s tennis player Matt Nelson (Galax, Va.). “During the stress of exam week, it is a good break to spend time with these young people and see how excited they are about opening their presents and getting to visit with Santa.”
This year, 178 of Emory & Henry’s student-athletes gave of their time and resources to help out members of the community. Senior Tessa Burton (Gate City, Va.), also a member of the E&H volleyball team, was instrumental in the coordination of the event.
“This event has been a great opportunity to make Christmas a little brighter for these kids, but also for our student-athletes to give back to the community,” said Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator Beverly Hatch. “It’s a stressful time for student-athletes here at Emory with the end of the semester, so it’s great to take a little bit of time out of the day to hang out and play with some three, four and five year olds who are thrilled that you’re there and excited to see Santa. It puts things in perspective and it’s a win-win for everybody concerned.”
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