GREENE COUNTY
The Greene County High School football team has recently been on a mission to give back to its community.
Two weeks ago, assistant coaches Aubrey Fortson and James Miller accompanied several Tigers’ players to visit the Boswell Parker Health & Rehabilitation nursing home in downtown Greensboro.
The players got to tour the facility, visit with long-term patients, and even help the staff clean a little bit. They did all this after a four-hour Wednesday morning workout, which consisted of drills.
Greene County’s visit to the nursing home wasn’t its first extracurricular activity off the field this year.
In March, Fortson took a group of 23 players to the Hancock State Prison. He not only used the trip as a learning experience but as a chance for the players to be introduced to a new job opportunity.
“It was a learning experience on both sides, and what I mean by that is they were able to tour the facility and learn about the day-to-day operations, and that was treated as a potential career opportunity for them,” Fortson said of the trip to the prison. “Aside from that, they were able to talk with six to seven inmates about their life choices and what led to them being in there. It wasn’t like a ‘Scared Straight’ trip or anything like that, but more of a learning experience for the kids.”
The Tigers’ trip to the nursing home on June 7 was a little different, though. It was a chance for the players to give back to their community and visit with some of their eldest supporters.
The players’ smiles were reflected in those they visited at the nursing home and also in the staff they interacted with. Those in attendance learned a thing or two about a new skill as well.
A member from the nursing home took the players to the back of the facility and had them clean off pieces of equipment. They got to handle and participate in duties the staff manages every day.
Specifically, the Tigers attending got to wash off kitchen equipment, which is used by the kitchen staff daily. They learned the correct technique of cleaning off several pieces of industrial-sized equipment.
“I can tell that some of you have never used a hose before, but I think you guys are going a great job,” Miller told the players in a joking manner. “Keep it up, though. This is a great skill to take home.”
This week, Fortson took a few players to Greensboro City Hall to meet Mayor Corey Williams and members of the city council. Additionally, he has some other community service opportunities lined up.
In the end, the goal of these outings is to teach the kids to be aware of their surroundings and to be in touch with their community and also to teach them there are many job options after graduation.
“There are a few different purposes behind having our guys do some community service, but one of them is really just to have our football team be shed in a different light,” Fortson said a few weeks ago. “We’re also trying to give back to our community in Greensboro so that we can show everybody that we’re not just over here playing football, but being active in our community as well. We want them to know that we appreciate them while trying to build up strong, young men.”