UNF Men's Soccer staff and players
On November 21st a team representing UNF men’s soccer volunteered their time at the Nemour Children’s Clinic to sort and package food for needy families around the Thanksgiving holiday. Head Coach Derek Marinatos in his first season as a head coach has demonstrated great leadership by emphasizing integrity amongst his players. As much as he has valued on the field excellence, he has also placed great value on working in the classroom and serving in the community.
Nemours Children’s Clinic is a part of the Nemours Foundation which is a non-profit organization in Jacksonville, Florida created by philanthropist Alfred I. duPont in 1936, and dedicated to improving the health of children. They see on average over 500 children per day for various medical reasons. Needless to say, the clinic staff are stretched thin and their appreciation for volunteer assistance with even small tasks is great.
All together the team from UNF was able to sort and package groceries for over 36 families! In addition, they were able to go from floor to floor and hand out kids magazines to all the children waiting to be seen by doctors. It may again seem like a small gesture, but to see the parents and children’s faces as we simply acknowledged them was priceless. Whatever cares and concerns were being carried as they sat in solitude seemed far away as the team offered smiles and a simple act of kindness. For me personally, what made the day even more gratifying was the part FCA was able to play in making it possible. After hearing that Coach Marinatos wanted an opportunity to serve the community we were able to make phone calls on his behalf in order to free him and his staff up to focus on end of the year meetings and recruiting. What a privilege it is to be able to serve coaches in this way! I am so thankful for coaches like Derek and thankful to all those who support FCA so that we can continue to serve them. Happy Thanksgiving! -Q
Packaging food for needy families
