March 30, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - On Saturday, April 1, the Arizona State basketball programs and more than 100 corporate volunteers from Southwest Gas will team with the Make A Difference organization for a day of hands-on community service at the South Mountain Community Fair held at the Thunderbird Golf Resort.
Several Arizona State Sun Devils from the both the men's and women's teams, including Pac-10 Player of the Year Eddie House, will shoot hoops, sign autographs and share their own special messages of hope and inspiration with more that 2,000 elementary school kids from under-resourced south Phoenix neighborhoods.
"We have a great team that is very involved in the community," said Arizona State University Men's Basketball Chaplain Larry Pettiford. "Our players love to share their personal messages of faith and the importance of education."
"One of our desires is for our student-athletes to be more than just a good player on the court," says assistant coach Russ Pennell. "The players we recruit are truly concerned about the community. We teach these young men that their lives must stand for much more that just basketball."
The local athletes will work one-on-one with their youthful fans from 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. sharing their on-court techniques, signing autographs, giving away free team posters and talking about the true meaning of assisting and rebounding in life. Schedule to attend, in addition to Eddie House, are Shawn Redhage, Justin Allen, Kyle Dodd, Awvee Storey, Chad Prewitt, Tommy Smith, and hometown favorite Donnell Knight, to name just a few.
More than 100 Southwest Gas employees will be on hand to staff the craft booths, host games and activities, provide entertainment and share in the cotton candy at the fair.
"Working with Make A Difference on this day gives our company a great way to get involved in a Valley-wide volunteer effort," said Kate Muldoon, Consumer and Community Affairs Administrator at Southwest Gas Corporation. "It's a great opportunity for our employees to recognize the importance of volunteerism and gives them an opportunity to fuel a larger connection with the community."
"This is one of more than 90 projects being sponsored by Make A Difference for the 7th annual Make A Difference Day Arizona Serve-A-Thon," said Make A Difference Executive Director Alison Rapping. "The value of this day is immense, our volunteers will provide more than 25,000 hours of community service, a $340,000 gift to the community." Proceeds raised from the day's event will benefit critical volunteer needs and provide vital programming in the community throughout the year."