Tennis Team Visits Ronald McDonald House

DURHAM – The tennis team continued a long tradition of the UNCP athletic department's commitment to community service recently with a visit to the Duke University chapter of the Ronald McDonald House in Durham, spending a day working with the children receiving treatment there.

The team began the day by preparing a home-cooked meal for more than 50 people residing at the Ronald McDonald House, producing a menu that consisted of ham, sloppy joe's, macaroni and cheese, fruit salad and a enviable dessert menu. The remainder of the more than six-hour stay consisted of the Lady Braves donating their time entertaining the children in a variety of activities that ranged from friendly games of basketball, drawing, playing piano or something as simple as a cuddling session.

"Our time spent with Andrea, Jaden and Elmer was priceless," said UNCP tennis head coach Robin Langley. "Hearing all about a brave young man named Phillip McPherson who is battling Crone's Disease at such a young age and spending time with his family was truly an honor.  It is an experience that all of us will hold close to our hearts. We went into this day with a giving spirit but walked out feeling as though we were the ones that truly received.

"What an amazing day for the Lady Braves Tennis Team. I was so proud of my girls for the way they represented UNCP, but more importantly I was proud of the way they just opened their hearts and brought some love into the Ronald McDonald House. All of the families were so welcoming and it meant a lot that they all were willing to share their stories and their children with us."

The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. Guiding it in its mission are its core values - focusing on the critical needs of children, celebrating the diversity of the programs it offers and the staff, volunteers and donors who make them possible, staying true to our heritage of 35 years of responsible stewardship and operating with accountability and transparency.

RMHC believes that when you change a child's life, you change a family's, which can change a community, and ultimately the world. The organization strives to be part of that change and part of the solution in improving the lives of children and their families. It extends its reach and impact by leveraging 35 years of experience and strong relationships with local communities and people in the field to continually establish Chapters across the globe. RMHC continually works to improve and expand its core programs, while also developing new services to address the unique needs of the communities we serve.

The tennis team's visit was part of an ongoing effort by the UNCP athletic department to positively impact, not only the local communities of Robeson County and its surrounding areas, but also areas throughout the nation. A current project of UNCP's chapter of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is the collecting of pop/soda tabs which will translate into funds for the Ronald McDonald House.

At publishing time, UNCP's SAAC had received more than eight pounds (11,000 tabs) in a collection box that is stationed outside Langley's office in the English E. Jones Center.

"We hope the UNCP community will continue to support SAAC's efforts with the pop tabs so that we can keep giving to the children and families at the Ronald McDonald House," Langley said.