Oct. 25, 2002

Samford's cross-country teams don't work-out on Thursday afternoons, and it's not because coach Glenn McWaters is going easy on his runners. Thursday afternoons this fall have been reserved for helping area kids with homework after school. Work-outs are held earlier in the day.

On a typical afternoon, kids from area schools will gather at the Harrison Park Recreation Center in downtown Birmingham to study, shoot hoops or play checkers until their parents can pick them up for the evening. The rec center is open to anyone and is a free, and safe, way for kids to spend their afternoons.

This fall the men's and women's cross-country teams began volunteering time on Thursday afternoons. Most days the kids bring in homework. But sometimes the afternoon calls for exercise.

"We come to tutor," said senior Brett Baddorf. "But some days the kids want to play basketball. It's really up to them to decide what they want to do."

Valerie Payne gets help with her homework from freshman Michelle Brewer.

Valerie Payne, an 8th grade student at St. Mary's, was one of the students who took advantage of the free help with school work. Valerie brought in a particularly tricky algebra assignment, and she utilized the mathmatical expertise of freshman Michelle Brewer, sophomore Bryan Baddorf and Brett to get the work done.

Arrington 7th-grader Ashley Dawson got help with her Language homework from sophomore Lauren Floyd. Ashley and Valerie are cousins, and they each appreciated the help with their homework.

"Now that I'm done I can go and do other things," Valerie said. "I don't like doing homework at night. Doing it right after school is better."

Valerie and Ashley live in a neighborhood where violence is common. One example is the backpacks they wear. They are mesh and see-through. It's not the latest fashion statement.

"It is so no weapons get into school," Ashley said.

Another reminder of violence is the cast on Valerie's left leg, the result of an fall in early October.

"I was trying to run away from a gun shot," she said. "I heard the gun fire and made a dive for the bushes but I didn't quite make it all the way."

The Rec Center offers kids a positive alternative after school, and that's why a lot of kids make it the place they spend their afternoons.

Sending a positive message is also one of the reasons these Samford student-athletes began tutoring.

"These kids don't have a lot of the same opportunities that others might," said Brett Baddorf. "And we can do something to help. Some of the adults might wonder why we're here, but the kids truly enjoy seeing us, and we love helping with homework or playing games with them."

Coach McWaters said he thinks Brett, Bryan, Lauren, Michelle and the other student-athletes get as much out of the interaction as the kids.

"This is something that they started doing themselves," McWaters said. "They don't do it for recognition. They do it because they are good people who enjoy helping others."

Brett Baddorf said the team plans to keep tutoring throughout the school year, and he would like to see the endeavor expand.

"We want to get other student-athletes, maybe some of the track team, involved," Baddorf said. "We also may try and come down and work with kids, on an individual basis, on different days of the week."