Although the main reason the Wake Forest men's basketball team traveled to New Providence was to compete in the Bahamas Basketball Federation's (BBF) Summer of Thunder exhibition series, the Demon Deacons still found time to get in some community service before they left the island on Friday morning, hosting a mini-camp and read along session with the kids at Sandilands Primary School.
With the support of Mission Educate Bahamas (MEB) and Wendy's, the Demon Deacons took about 40 elementary school students through a few skill drills on the court and also through a brief conditioning workout, teaching them the importance of being physically fit. During the read along segment, both players and kids interacted using MEB's "TuneIn to Read" program.
The camp also featured T-shirt giveaways, autograph signing and lunch for the students. Despite ending their run at Summer of Thunder on Thursday night, the team wanted to interact more with the local community before heading back to North Carolina.
"Since we already completed our scheduled games, we saw this as an opportunity for our guys to see different parts of the island, but most importantly, it was a chance to connect with some kids and put a smile on their face," said head coach Danny Manning. "We really enjoyed our time here, because it was also a bonding trip for our team as well. So now we hope that the chemistry we built here carries over into the season."
Sandilands Primary is one of the latest schools to incorporate MEB's TuneIn program into its curriculum. School Principal Esther Cartwright said the program is one that can truly elevate the literacy levels in younger students. She expressed her appreciation to MEB and Wendy's for affording the kids the opportunity to meet and greet with the players.
"It was a delight to have Wake Forest University here. This kind of exposure is great for our students," she said. "We want to thank Wendy's for the charity and for making this possible. "This is an opportunity that most students would never have if it wasn't for this program, and I think the impact from the visit will go beyond just our school, but throughout the entire Fox Hill community and The Bahamas at large."
The TuneIn program is a reading program monitored using computers and headphones. It helps children improve their reading in a very short period of time, as few as one or two grade levels.
Randy Smith, Guardian Sports Reporter
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