SPORTS STORIES:
SPORTS INFORMATION—2009
BASKETBALL PLAYER VOLUNTEERS OVER SPRING BREAK...
CLEVELAND, OH (March 20, 2009) - While many Case Western Reserve University students spent their spring break relaxing on the beach, one men’s basketball player headed down to New Orleans to give his time and energy to help Hurricane Katrina victims still in need.
Sophomore guard Alfred Preston, Jr. (Cleveland, OH) overcame many challenges growing up in the city as a student at East Tech High School. That’s one reason why he wanted to volunteer his entire spring break to helping out in New Orleans – because he understands facing adversity.
“I didn’t struggle with academics in high school, I always wanted to go to college,” explained Preston. “I just had to stay out of trouble. There is always trouble, drama and fighting going on, those are typical things that happened in my neighborhood. I worked hard to not end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Preston says his mother was hard on him, always making sure he was up on his school work and not letting him go places that could get him into trouble. Having his mother’s extra support to go along with his hard work and perseverance was all he would need to succeed. But even though Preston is now attending Case Western Reserve and playing on a collegiate varsity basketball team, he hasn’t forgotten how important help was along the way in getting here.
“I wanted to go to New Orleans and help because I know people have helped me and continue to help me,” said Preston. “I take pride in doing things like that, helping people who are less fortunate. It was also a chance for me to go somewhere new because I hardly ever travel. It was still a vacation even though I spent it doing service.”
Preston learned about the trip to New Orleans when a speaker from the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning on campus held a presentation in one of his classrooms. From there he submitted an application and went through an interview process before becoming one of 20 Case Western Reserve students that were selected to come along. Preston believes the leadership skills he has learned through playing basketball and his hard working personality were what helped him earn the opportunity to go.
According to Preston, there are still many areas in New Orleans that continue struggling to get help. There has been a great deal of progress made over the last three years, but certain areas are still suffering from the damage.
“I saw some things that made me say ‘wow’,” said Preston. “It was heartbreaking seeing the part of New Orleans that got hit the hardest, the lower 9th ward (pictured). I was saddened to see the driveways and the steps to what was once someone’s home. Seeing this makes me grateful for what I do have because I realize anyone could lose everything over night.”
Preston says each day of the New Orleans trip was completely different. He took part in a hunger drive, a food and clothing drive and spent time doing physical labor rebuilding a damaged middle school. Then at the end of the trip, Preston and the other Case Western Reserve students put on a career fair for a local high school where they set up work stations to teach the children about what they are studying in school.
For Preston, it was a presentation on the criminal justice field. Preston is a sociology major who would like to work in forensic science one day. Aside from the career fair for the high school students, the volunteers also made several visits to a local elementary school where they were able to help teach the young children.
“The most rewarding part of this trip by far was spending time with the fourth graders at a charter school called Good Shepard (pictured),” recalled Preston. “I spent my mornings working and playing with the kids and it was awesome. The kids really liked me and we were able to help them a lot in just one week. I didn’t want to leave them.”
While Preston’s spring break vacation was not the normal college student excursion, he says the memories he will take with him made it all worthwhile.
“Going down to New Orleans has gone a long way in helping me develop as a person and towards helping others,” said Preston. “I don’t think anyone can tell you to help somebody, you have to want to help people on your own – and that’s something I want to do.”
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