Winning Off the Field: Athletics' 2,500 Volunteer Hours

DURHAM, N.C. -- The holiday season may be the time most get active in giving back to the local community, but for Duke Athletics' employees Tony Sales and William Wright, it's a year-round endeavor.

Thanks to the work of the pair, hundreds of Duke student-athletes representing 27 varsity sports share about 2,500 hours annually of community service. Coordinating with coaches and players, Sales and Wright work behind the scenes to set up opportunities that are meant to help communities and the teams in creating lasting memories and stronger bonds between residents, fans and players.

“You can see the excitement kids and community members have to interact with our student-athletes,” said Wright, student-athlete development coordinator with Duke Athletics. “They represent the best of college athletics and I get joy out of seeing younger generations sharing time with them and aspiring to be the same.”

Over the course of each academic year, more than 600 student-athletes from all of Duke's teams take part in about 150 total service events. Activities range from “Read with the Blue Devils,” in which players visit Durham schools to share stories with third and fourth graders, to wellness programming. In 2016, teams began volunteering with Bull City Fit, partnering student-athletes with youth to teach about the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle. Other events have included “college appreciation” meetings at local high schools, where Duke student-athletes talk to teens about the importance of college and encourage them to apply to further their education.

In each case, Sales and Wright will first meet with coaches or players to discuss potential service opportunities, and then coordinate with local groups to bring the ideas to fruition. On a monthly basis, that means ensuring a team is visiting Durham's Ronald McDonald House, but it also entails on-call help for new programming, too.

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Winning Off the Field: Athletics' 2,500 Volunteer Hours

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