A Silver-Lined Requirement
December 25, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Badger senior forward and tri-captain, Jessie Stomski, takes a moment this holiday season to reflect on how the community service activities, in which she has participated for four years, have changed her life. The journalism major is a regular contributor to the Wisconsin game programs.
"By the time our season comes to an end, (March 31st) our team will have collectively done more than 500 hours of community service.
There are many ways that our team fulfills its community service requirement. We have a variety of events that we attend as a team, such as helping Habitat for Humanity build a house. We also do service hours on our own, or as small groups. Some of us have visited the UW Children's Hospital, while others prefer to visit area schools to talk to kids about striving to succeed. A few of my teammates visit the Y.M.C.A. weekly to work on activities with disabled adults. This Christmas season our entire team sponsored a struggling family, and a few of the players delivered gifts and food to their home.
Regardless of the activity, the act of serving a community which we represent has been a beneficial experience. Coach Albright emphasizes our development as a player, as a student, and most importantly, as a person. She places a high importance on community service as a part of developing ourselves away from the court and class.
With our task of balancing school and basketball, we have occasionally struggled to see how community service can expand our education, as well as our character. In the midst of my fourth year in a system that places such a priority on serving others, I can say that I now realize the invaluable experience of giving to others.
My commitment to service has taken various forms over the years, from serving Thanksgiving dinner at a local shelter, to helping a 3rd grade class write poetry. I cannot accurately describe the pride I have developed in giving back to a community that has received our team so well. I no longer see community service as a way for me to make others feel good. Rather, it is a way to let others fill me with the joy of simply seeing their smile, or sharing a laugh.
I want to thank Coach Albright for placing such importance on giving of ourselves. It has taught us to receive the priceless human currency of reciprocity, a currency that means knowing the people and the community that support us. The memories I have from the hours I once thought of as a `requirement' are some of the fondest that I will take away from my days as a player."
