Clowns and cotton candy aren't just for kids. On Sunday July 25, a group of Dartmouth football players enjoyed the visiting Big Apple Circus with Upper Valley area children.
In the name of Friends of Dartmouth Football, an anonymous alumnus donated 20 circus tickets to the Tucker Foundation.
According to Matt Feeley '94, a team member who attended the circus, Friends of Dartmouth Football organized the trip and the team members signed up through the football office.
Twenty players took a chartered bus to Lebanon, N.H. where they met the kids, who were primarily children of clients of the Women's Information Service in Lebanon. W.I.S.E. is a program that provides assistance for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Kenneth Gordon '95, a football player involved in the event, said the team members spent the 20 minute bus ride to the circus getting to know the children.
"It was nice to spend time with the kids," Gordon said. "We had a lot of fun talking and playing around."
Carla Manley, an area resident and chaperone, said the event was a success. "The kids and football players both really enjoyed it," she said.
The football program often sponsors community service events during the off season, Feeley said. "During the three years that I have been involved in the program, there have been four of five events like these," he said. Feeley has participated in Special Olympics and visited veterans through the football program.
According to Jan Tarjan, associate dean of the Tucker Foundation, the participating children were from the Listen Center of Lebanon's Stepping Stones program. Stepping Stones provides activities for children who are waiting to be matched with volunteers from the Big Brothers or Big Sisters programs.
Tarjan emphasized that the Big Brothers and Big Sisters programs are in need of student volunteers.
