The Apollo cheer team got into the holiday spirit by volunteering to serve meals at Walnut Memorial Baptist Church on December 16. Head coach Wes Nall said the team felt they should pay forward the support the community has given them.
Apollo cheer has held multiple fundraisers throughout their season to help fund new competition mats for practice and new uniforms. As a way of giving back, the team chose to volunteer at Memorial Baptist Church, Nall said.
“Our team has been treated well by our community this year,” he said. “We did a donation drive in July, and have done a few other smaller fundraisers this season that have allowed us to accomplish two major team objectives: a full floor of competition mats on which we can practice, and new uniforms. My team leaders decided that we should pay that generosity forward. I presented them with some options, and this was one of the ways they chose to do so.”
According to Nall, Walnut Memorial serves a meal to those in need on a weekly, or near-weekly, basis on Monday nights at 6:00pm; this includes orders taken to the homes of people who are unable to get out of their residence. Nall hopes that this experience taught the team to appreciate their blessings, and that they can help out at the church
“I think it’s important to remember, especially this time of year, that there are many ways we are blessed,” he said. “I’m proud of them, not just as athletes, but as people too. This is certainly a volunteer opportunity that I’d like to continue year-over-year, if not more often.”
