Scott Smith, November 2, 2017
We?re not saying that if you look at the above picture and don?t feel a slight ?Awww? issue forth from your vocal chords then you are somehow broken inside but…maybe just a little?
The photo above was taken at St. Peter?s University Hospital in New Brunswick as seven members of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team visited the children?s ward.
The Service Knights are a volunteer program that serves schools and hospitals. Every Friday before the team?s home games, players will visit with kids and community members in the name of giving back to the community.
?I have to be grateful for whatever I have and give back,? said Jerome Washington, of Elizabeth, who plays tight end for the team. ?This takes their minds off what they are going through.?
The experience is also therapeutic for the players, who enjoy being able to escape the pressure that comes before game day, said Jeff Jones assistant director of player development, who accompanied the players on their trip to St. Peter?s.
Back in September, the Service Knights spent some time at Lakeview School in Edison, NJ.
Today Service Knights spent time w/children @ Lakeview School, a specialized school for those w/developmental & related disabilities. pic.twitter.com/Cat6lrJtvN
— Rutgers Football (@RFootball) September 29, 2017
And over the past five years the guys have worked with young kids who have autism through the Saturdays in Motion program. The program serves 75 families in the area in the Somerset, NJ area. Here?s what Rutgers offensive tackle J.J. Denman had to say about the experience:
?It?s great to see the relationships the kids have with the teen volunteers who they see all the time? Volunteering with the Y?s Saturdays in Motion is the highlight of our year. We have a lot of fun hanging out and playing, but the best part is when you start to make a connection with the kids you see year-after-year-that stays with you.?