Earlier this month, the GPS 1010 class “March Madness” hosted a service project in collaboration with Queen Palmer Elementary School entitled “Hoops and Scoops.”
The class, which utilizes a variety of basketball-related themes to stimulate the pursuit of academic, professional, and personal goals, developed and facilitated a free basketball and academic motivation clinic for Queen Palmer Elementary’s fourth and fifth grade students. The event concluded with a celebratory ice cream social.
“This service event gave me a better understanding of the area and the socioeconomic status that varies from neighborhood to neighborhood,” said UCCS student Patrick Corkery. “The project helped me realize that it’s not hard at all to serve the community, and you can have fun doing it.”
Students in the GPS class were divided into four groups, including coaching, marketing, professional development and event management, and through their combined work on the event hoped to inspire academic success in the elementary students, while gaining applicable skills themselves.
“It reminded me that giving back means a lot more than just a simple event,” said UCCS student Sam Dawrant. “It’s about being able to put a smile on someone’s face and have an impact on their life that they will never forget.”