GW Men's Tennis Volunteers at Stomp Out Sickle Cell Walk

Colonials Offer Services to Help Raise Awareness at Annual Fundraiser

The GW men's tennis team volunteered at the fifth annual Stomp Out Sickle Cell 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Sept. 23, 2011

WASHINGTON – On Saturday, Sept. 17, the George Washington men’s tennis team volunteered at the fifth annual Stomp Out Sickle Cell 5K Run/Walk that took place around the district. The Colonials helped unload and set up materials around the event site, build a stage for speakers, unload T-shirts and prizes for participants and set up tables.

With encouragement from the coaching staff, the men’s tennis student-athletes took the initiative to search for opportunities like the Stomp Out Sickle Cell event to give back to the community.

“We think it is extremely important to give back,” said junior Alexander van Gils. “We thought the Sickle Cell Walk would be great opportunity to show the area that our whole program is very involved in community service.”

The annual event began in 2007 when several community-based groups and medical institutions came together to sponsor and promote the first-ever Stomp Out Sickle Cell Walk. Since then, the event has grown tremendously, and over the past five years more than 1,100 people have participated in the collaborative effort.

The Colonials arrived at the event at Freedom Plaza at 6:00 a.m., Saturday to begin their volunteer tasks of setting up for the event. Despite the early arrival, the student-athletes all felt a sense of pride in the experience.

“We feel very lucky to have the opportunity to play tennis at GW, so it feels good to give something back,” said van Gils. “It definitely brought our team together. Even though it was early in the morning, everyone was full of energy and excited to participate.”

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