Students Lead the Way with Champions Drink H2O

"Champions Drink H2O”

Matt Cates, Penn HS, Mishawaka, IN and Benton Harbor HS, MI

The Student Athletic Leadership Council (SALC) at Penn High School in Indiana has started a water drive to collect water bottles for people in the Benton Harbor High School community in Michigan who don't have access to clean water. And in an effort to promote the water drive, Coach Cates and the Penn strength training program offered to promote and reward athletes who participate by working with the Kingsmen (a strength club used to promote school pride), where they hold raffles to have more students support sporting events by giving points and raffling off gift cards to students who bring in cases of water.

Three Questions with Matt Cates

What does it mean to you that your student-athletes have chosen participate in this valuable community service project?

"It means so much to see student athletes create such a beneficial program for a school/community in need. Their passion to help others and lead the way is inspiring to me and the other coaches at Penn High School.”

What does it mean to help your student-athletes do so much for others, especially around the Holidays, and how has volunteerism become an important part of the way that you and your students celebrate the Holiday Season?

“The strength program is doing whatever the students ask—they are leading the way and its such a joy to see young men and women volunteer their time to help others. What is great is that it is during the Holidays, a great time of giving, but I know the Penn SALC would have pushed this forward at any time of the year. “This project says so much about our student-athletes. I personally had an unfortunate situation happen to me and my family earlier in the year, and I saw the Penn students come together to help us out in ways that they will never know. As a coach, it means the world to me to see our student-athletes do so many things for so many others, and I'm just trying to follow their lead.”

What advice do you have for other NHSSCA members who would like to put on their own efforts to help others, especially around the Holidays?

“There is no problem or issue too small or too big for your athletes to help out. In my opinion, student-athletes at our level can lead in many ways, and sometimes as coaches, we need to sit back and allow them to take charge and just help them out in any way possible. Again, this would never have happened if it were not for the SALC; the strength program is just helping out in any way possible and following their lead. But if there is a thought that, 'well, it's not going to make a significant change,' you need to realize that even if it helps one person, it can have a ripple effect to help many others, so help/volunteer/give back in any positive way possible.”