Dukes forge connection with community

Professional athletes seem to be the biggest role model for America's youth, but often those athletes present how not to act, instead of showing kids how to be successful adults.

But there remains hope in the student-athlete: a character devoted to scholarship and hard work, and more recently at Duquesne, the community.

Beginning this year, the Fusion program at Duquesne has helped student athletes get involved with their community by volunteering with the youth from the University's surrounding neighborhoods.

Bob Derda, director of external relations for the athletic department, said local corporations have been part of a ticket donation program for the last few years. Partners such as UPMC Healthplan, Michael Vozza, and Dean Honda have donated money to make tickets available to inner-city youth.

"We decided to extend the program beyond a ticket program to become, as a department, more involved with the inner-city groups we provided tickets to," Derda said.

The Fusion program works with the Center of Life in Hazelwood, and the athletic department has also started connections with the Hill House and the Josh Gibson Foundation. Seventy-five children from the Fusion program watched the Dukes take on Robert Morris at the A.J. Palumbo Center on Dec. 6.

"The idea is that the youth would come to a game and then be able to see the student-athletes in action," Derda said.

Jay Spinks, who played football for Duquesne, graduated last spring, and now works for the athletic department, said nearly half of those children came with their parents, explaining that it was important to see parents get involved, too.

Spinks grew up in Lanham, Md. only a few miles from the University of Maryland's campus. When Spinks was younger, Juan Dixon, who led the Terrapin's to their first national championship in men's basketball in 2002, visited Spinks' Boy's Club. 

"I understand what the influence of a student-athlete can be to these kids," he said.

He wishes the program was in place while he was in school but said "you have to start somewhere."

Spinks is passionate about the effect student-athletes can have on a young child's life, especially in inner-city communities. Through the Fusion program for which he is the direct contact with the Center of Life, he said the goal is to reward kids for their hard work and good behavior at school by letting them watch the Dukes compete.

"I think it's extremely important to these kids," Spinks said. "These kids need role models to look towards and I think student-athletes are perfect."

Women's soccer goalkeeper Devon Tabata volunteered with Duquesne's Student Athlete Advisory Committee at the Fusion program. She helped a young girl with her long division homework during an afterschool program.

"I was just so shocked by how determined she was to get her homework done and get it finished. She was so competitive with the boy next to her," Tabata said.

Tabata said she plans to volunteer more now that finals are over and a new semester has begun, and will encourage her teammates to join her.

"Not only is it a positive thing for the kids in the community, but it's great for us, not only as athletes, but as students," she said. "It's really great to give back and it's rewarding knowing you can help."

Spinks said the Dukes aren't required to help out in the community, and there is no future plan for teams to complete mandatory service hours, but there are still student athletes interested in helping out.

"It's not required at all. Every athlete that steps in feels it internally," he said. "It's amazing how many athletes want to help."

Derda said that even though he considers these "pilot programs," the participation is already there, and he plans to continue watching the growth because they "want to be able to give back to the groups we've already committed to."

"It's important for us to be involved in the community, in particular, the neighborhood where we live and do our business," Derda said.

The athletic department is currently organizing more events like the Robert Morris game, where children from the Hill House and Josh Gibson Foundation can enjoy a game and meet the student athletes.

Spinks said that as the program grows, it's important to remember that it's "not what we want to gain from it standpoint, but from how we can influence these kids."