Wesleyan Students to Help Ease the
Devastation of Hurricane Katrina

“Tear up and clean up” is the motto for the 16 West Virginia Wesleyan students traveling to Mississippi during their spring break as part of the College’s Alternative Spring Break trip.

Due to the lasting and devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina on the gulf coast of the United States, the Wesleyan students will assist the ongoing clean-up efforts in Biloxi, MS. Biloxi was one of the most devastated areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. They will work in disaster zones without power and in areas where walking is the only accessibility. In addition to helping “tear up and clean up” the area, students will also interact one-on-one with residents of the community. The students will depart for Biloxi on Friday, March 10 and will return to Buckhannon on Saturday, March 18.

“Sending money is still a great way to contribute to the disaster relief effort,” says Elizabeth Gillispie, a junior from Valley Head, WV. “But for me, the opportunity to actually go to the area and physically help people will be extremely meaningful.” Gillispie, who also volunteers at Buckhannon Intermediate School, will be taking items donated from Susan Hansen’s third-grade class such as stuffed animals and t-shirts.

The Wesleyan Emeritus Club, an alumni organization made up of graduates of 50 years or more, is supporting the project. The Emeritus Club has traditionally helped fund previous Alternative Spring Break trips. In its 15th year, Wesleyan’s Alternative Spring Break is designed to promote service through break-oriented programs. Students are introduced to vastly different cultures which attempt to heighten social awareness and bring about lifelong social skills. Previous spring break voyages have included trips to Tennessee, Virginia, and southern West Virginia. The first Wesleyan Alternative Spring Break trip in 1993 was also to assist in a hurricane relief effort as students traveled to South Florida after Hurricane Andrew.

Directing the trip is Angela Gay Kinkead ’79, dean of the Chapel, along with alumnus and parent volunteer Woody Martin ‘76 of French Creek, and Jane Levy, wife of Don Levy, sociology professor at Wesleyan. Students traveling are Beth Dale of Parkersburg, WV, Amie Dillon of Elkins, WV, Kristen Dusch of Canvas, WV, Amber Flannery of Buckhannon, WV, Brad Foster of Barboursville, WV, Elizabeth Gillispie of Valley Head, WV, Aaron Heishman of Mathias, WV, Evey Hepinger of Cranberry Twp., PA, Aleisha Jones of Parlin, NJ, Melissa Martin of French Creek, WV, Sarah Nicholas of Weirton, WV, Dale Nyberg of Chautauqua, NY, Tsergin Sherpa of Nepal, India, Yuki Tsuchiya of Tokyo, Japan, Denise Wagner of Fairmont, WV, and Elizabeth Windham of Utitz, PA.

 A blog, a website log, will be set up on Wesleyan’s homepage in order to view pictures and follow day-to-day happenings and reflections of the students. Please visit Wesleyan’s website at www.wvwc.edu and click on http://blog.wvwc.edu/asb/.

Receiving the Emeritus Club Alternative Speak Break donation are Wesleyan students Elizabeth Gillispie ‘07 and Evey Hepinger ’06 from Ruth Reeder Myers ’45, secretary of the Emeritus Club, and Harold Elmore Hon ‘82, coordinator of the Emeritus Club, along with Angela Gay Kinkead ’79, dean of the Chapel, and Tim Channell MBA ’03, alumni relations director.

Baseball Team Reaches out to Special Olympians

Wesleyan’s baseball teams have long been winners on the diamond, but they have became winners off the playing field as well with their recent volunteer work with some very special athletes. The baseball team became partners with the Upshur County Special Olympics basketball team during the last 10 weeks, helping them prepare for this weekend’s West Virginia State Special Olympics Tournament in Morgantown.

The initial relationship between Wesleyan’s baseball team and the Special Olympians began last year through Mike Hinkle’s Adapted Physical Education class. The class places an emphasis on the development of individual programs for exceptional children. As part of the class, Hinkle required that his students spend one morning working with the Special Olympic athletes. For one of Hinkle’s students, current assistant baseball coach Brian Ford, that one morning has turned into a two-year affiliation with the Special Olympics.

“I had a great experience the first time I assisted the Special Olympians,” remarked Ford. “I immediately asked Mr. Hinkle if I could go back a second week. They needed someone to help them with their basketball practices and scrimmages, and they also needed practice time on a full-length court. I felt I could really be of use to them in this particulary area.” The Upshur County Special Olympics basketball team, known as the Rebels, put those Wesleyan scrimmages to good use by winning the state championship last year in their division.

This season Ford wanted to continue his relationships with the Special Olympians, so he turned to his baseball team for assistance. “I asked the team if they would want to volunteer their time for a good cause, and they were more than eager to help,” explained Ford. “We try to rotate different baseball players each week so everyone will have an opportunity to work with these tremendous athletes.” The Rebels make their way to Wesleyan’s auxiliary gym once a week for a full hour of five-on-five scrimmages. The team is made up of male athletes from the ages of 15 to 45. “It is a very rewarding experience,” remarked junior pitcher and Buckhannon native Jason Kelley. “You can see the smiles on their faces when we show up ready to play. It easily makes their day as well as ours.”

 “The Wesleyan baseball players have been a tremendous asset to us,” commented Susan O’ Dell, who coaches the Rebels along with Wesleyan alumna Debbie Rexroad ‘96. “There are so many positives that our athletes take away from the experience. The scrimmages provide them an opportunity to be in a competitive game. It also provides them with interaction with other people, allows them to develop an athletic skill, and it teaches them about good sportsmanship.”

The relationship cultivated between the baseball players and the athletes extends beyond the gym floor. “You see them at Wal-Mart or in a different location in town, and they come up to you and give you a hug and want to talk about the next scrimmage,” stated junior outfielder and Peterstown, WV, native Nick Newberry. “This has been a terrific experience for me personally.”

With the West Virginia Special Olympics scheduled for this weekend and the baseball team heading to Florida for their annual spring break tour, the two sides played their final scrimmage of the year last Friday night. “We are going to miss working with them and seeing them each weekend,” concluded Ford. “They were always excited about coming to Wesleyan and playing basketball with us, but at the same time, I think we looked forward to it as much as they did. We all will be looking forward to hearing about their success this weekend when we return from Florida.”