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On February 5, 2010, Bloomsburg University athletes the heerleading quad and from the football team visited a local nursing home. Balanced Care Nursing Home in Bloomsburg initially invited these student-athletes to their facility for a Super Bowl party, not expecting the students to be so enthusiastic and excited about giving back to their community. The cheerleading squad asked some of the football players to come along with them and much of the team decided to join in for the afternoon.
After arriving at the nursing home at 2 p.m., the cheerleaders warmed up the staff by performing several cheers to raise their spirits. After dancing with the staff, they even got one thrilled resident to participate in the ‘YMCA' dance with them. Afterwards, the students mingled with the residents, passing out Bloomsburg University paraphernalia such as pens, tablets and shirts, which meant a great deal to many of the residents as some of them are Bloomsburg University alumni.
Ben Weaber, #88 and tight end for the Huskies, said that at first it was difficult to get a read on many of the residents, but that overall they were very friendly and open. Many residents were having fun getting into the music and clapping along or dancing in their seats. Kaitlyn Schiccatano even mentioned that the residents enjoyed their time together so much that she received an email from one resident's daughter-in-law, thanking all of the athletes for their time and generosity. She went on to say that the students who visited the nursing home helped her mother-in-law have a normal life again, giving her motivation to be more social and more like her normal self.
"I found at the end of my own experience, the gift to me was not that I was giving of my time, but it was the gift I was giving to ‘myself,'" Schiccatano said, also pointing out that she would love to go to the nursing home again because of how much fun she had and how it made her feel to know that she helped to brighten someone's day. Weaber agreed, saying,"I think it is a lot of fun to get away from campus life and get out and interact with others in the community." Weaber also said that he thinks the residents enjoyed the day as much as the students did.
Also, these Bloomsburg University student-athletes celebrated Jahri Evans's Super Bowl experience with the residents during their one hour visit. As Bloomsburg University alumni, the residents were able to relate to the students and both groups enjoyed their time together.
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