UF student-athletes finish wrapping; next up is getting to play Santa
Tuesday, December 7, 2010 | Lacrosse, Women's Swimming & Diving, Track and Field, Scott Carter
As you walked up the stairs to the second floor of Farrior Hall on Monday night, the voices grew louder with each step.
At the top of the stairs behind two large doors, a hallway floor was flooded with University of Florida student-athletes participating in Gator Tracks, a community service program that provides needy kids with shoes and socks for Christmas.
Fifty-eight members of UF's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee performed various tasks at a gift-wrapping party inside the academic advisement building. Several members of UF's swimming and lacrosse teams sat on the floor with scissors, tape and wrapping paper in hand.
Others raced back and forth to an auditorium bordering the hallway to grab more boxes of shoes and socks that needed wrapping.
There were all kinds of shoes. Girls shoes. Boys shoes. Spider Man shoes.
Gators junior hurdler Jarius Cooper's primary job was to sort the boxes according to what color wrapping paper was used. The stack of boxes grew higher throughout the night.
The gifts will be delivered to six Gainesville-area schools next week by the student-athletes.
“I think it's a great event,'' Cooper said. “We do so many projects throughout the year within the SAAC committee, and I think this particular program is so nice because it helps out the local kids.
“It's beneficial for us to give back, and for them to be so surprised.''
Organized by UF's Office of Student Life, Gator Tracks is a program that partners with local elementary schools. Teachers provide UF with the first names and shoe sizes of needy children, and then UAA staff members and student-athletes purchase shoes for the kids to donate to the program.
The best part for those involved comes next week when they get to deliver the shoes and see the reaction of the kids.
“I'm really excited because I have only one exam during exam week, so I'm prepared to come out early in the morning and go to the schools and spend time with the kids,'' Cooper said.
Rew Woodruff, Life Skills Coordinator in the Office of Student Life, kept Monday's event rolling by handing out scissors, dropping off boxes to be wrapped, making sure everyone had pizza, and whatever else that needed to be done.
Woodruff said 490 pairs of shoes and socks were purchased this year for donation to the school children.
“It's huge. The families really need the help,'' Woodruff said. “They are so thankful we do it.''
