Newberry College Athletes Impacting Community for Good
Football, basketball players involved in local schools
December 15, 2005

Courtesy Newberry College Sports Information Office

QUESTION: What's more fun than a Curious George book?

Are you curious yet?

Second graders at Newberry's Boundary Street Elementary School have the answer: having a Newberry College student-athlete read a Curious George book!

That's exactly what head men's basketball coach Shaun Golden, along with guards Cory Etheridge and Tyler Fisher, took time out for Monday morning as the trio headed to the elementary school less than a mile from campus. Lucky students were called to the library to share some time with the basketball players and listen to some of their favorite stories.

Etheridge and Fisher read books to the attentive youngsters first, but Golden stole the show with his story and ad-lib. The group of Boundary Street Elementary students got to see a softer side of the serious-on-the-sidelines coach. A father of two daughters himself, Golden put on a performance that had even his own players and Lady Indians' basketball player Carnicha Bellinger laughing at his antics.

Basketball is not the only group that is involved in outreach to the community at Newberry College. During Red Ribbon Week 2005, head football coach Zak Willis and the dynamic duo of Josh Stepp and Tymere Zimmerman made stops at both Newberry Middle School and Prosperity-Rikard Elementary School. Red Ribbon Week is the most far-reaching and well-known drug prevention event in America. The National Family Partnership, which coordinates Red Ribbon activities nationally, estimates that over 80 million Americans participate in Red Ribbon events.

At Newberry Middle School, receiver Mazzie Drummond also joined Zimmerman and Stepp to preach the virtues of a drug-free life. The trio was able to move from classroom to classroom, speaking to several classes of seventh graders. At Prosperity-Rikard, Willis, Zimmerman and Stepp were able to stand before an all-school assembly and speak to a very attentive and receptive crowd.

Since its inception, Red Ribbon Week has grown from encouraging youngsters to say "no to drugs" to expand to making right choices in all areas of life. Staying in school, turning down alcohol and tobacco, and setting and reaching goals were prominent themes.