USEFUL LINKS

Members of the Sprayberry Lady Jacket basketball team are up for adoption, but don't expect to see the players in an orphanage .

Sprayberry Lady Jackets Victoria Jones (left) and Sydnee Evans pose with a seated member of the Dogwood Forest Assisted Living Facility, while another team member, Shyra Oliver, shares a smile with another facility member. Sprayberry has invited all those at the facility to a Dec. 8 game at Sprayberry.

A Dec. 5 visit by the high schoolers to the Dogwood Forest Assisted living facility in Marietta led to the team jumping at the chance to unofficially adopt members of the facility, located off Roswell Road. It also left the team grateful for those at the facility and the lessons that can be learned reaching out to those who can use a smile, mixed in with some added attention.

"I think going to visit (Dogwood Forest) meant the world to the people there, and it taught the girls about giving back to people," said Lady Jacket Coach Mark Giles. "Through this community service, the girls are learning they live in more than a bubble. The experience was rewarding for all of us, and we invited anyone at the facility out to see a game. Bad weather made it hard for them to get here, so we have invited them again to our games Jan. 2 against Lassiter and Jan. 9, when we play Kell."

The pairing of young and old started when Giles asked Emery Williams, an assistant with the team, to find a community service his girls and others might find beneficial. Williams said with Sprayberry Principal Ed Wagner stressing community service, he wanted to take a different angle on how to teach team players to help others, even though he wasn't sure what the results would be."

"We looked at helping youth in the community, but we felt that the elderly would be able to understand and appreciate our efforts," said Williams. "The girls on the team are still talking about it and are excited about them (Dogwood Forest members) coming to the game. The communication was open, and everyone had good eye contact. I didn't really expect to see that. There was genuine respect on both sides."

While at the facility, players played games with Dogwood Forest members and provided them with beads and pom poms. Some even used the moment to dance with those at the assisted living facility."

"Our kids danced with some of the people," said Williams. "The men really got a kick out of it."

Senior guard Ashley Speck said the visit was "fun and rewarding," but it took a few minutes to adjust to the situation once at the facility.

"At first I was nervous," Speck said. "But once I got used to the environment, it was a lot of fun. I learned it's not about us all the time but about giving back in some way too."

Sprayberry players (left to right) Jasmine Hightower, Carly Ridge and Ashley Speck make themselves at home with two Dogwood Forest members Dec. 5. The dog in the foreground also lives at the facility.

Nadia Ogene, a junior forward for the team, had experienced some time at an assisted living facility for the mentally handicapped in her youth when her mother worked at one in Chicago. While not comparing the two different facilities directly, she said her experience at the Chicago home assisted her in adapting to the assisted living environment.

"Knowing my mom's experience helped, and I understood this was a chance to give the people we visited a chance to feel important," said Ogene. "They are important, and it was fun."

The players weren't the only ones who learned a lesson during the trip. Giles said the experience led to some thinking on his part.

"When I was looking at all the girls faces while we were there, it reminded me there's more to it than basketball," said Giles, whose team is off to a 3-0 start. "And I learned I need to do things like that more often. We want them to come see the game here, and I'd like to go back."

And will Giles' team see him dance with facility members?

"No," Giles said with a smile. "I couldn't do that to them."