Upward Ministry at St. Luke's

The UPWARD Ministry team meets continually throughout the year to plan the UPWARD events at St. Luke's. The core team is always welcoming new members and we continue to grow the programs at remarkable progress. For UPWARD at St. Luke's to continue and grow more volunteers are becoming a necessity.

We Hope you find it in your heart to join the UPWARD Team at St. Luke's.

Volunteer to be a part of the Upward Experience!

A SPECIAL STORY

VOLUNTEERING FOR UPWARD-WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO!

My child entered into the UPWARD program in the first grade, very timid and not very aggressive in nature, yet very interested in Basketball UPWARD seemed to be the right program for him. In addition, the fact UPWARD is a learning experience about character lessons and the teachings of Jesus Christ made the program seem perfect.

After watching him practice for the first time I noticed several kids on his team knew what they were doing. Then that first game occurred and all he did was run up the court when the coach pointed to the end and run back when the coached pointed to the other end. I am not quite sure if he realized there was actually a ball in play. He of course could barely bounce a ball. But after several practices and a few games he had the hang of the dribble. He still just ran up and down the court and after every game he received a star. On the way home he would ask me, "did I do good". I of course I would say, "yes". "Coach gave me a high five." he would state, as he smiled. He went home after every game thinking he was a winner!

As the season progressed I noticed the coach would tell his son, who was a particularly good player and a couple of the other players on the team to concentrate on passing the ball to a particular player, especially in the second half. Eventually, that player would score, in most cases for the first time that season! The coaches would throw their arms in the air, the kids would high five, and a parent would be smiling in the crowd. It did not matter that the other team scored every time down the court. It did not matter that in trying to get one particular child the ball, open shots were passed up, turnovers occurred, eventually that child received the ball and more people felt like winners then any score could ever indicate. At the end of the game the child would be awarded the Grey star for best offense even though he only scored one basket. The last game of the season they tried everything they could to get my son a shot. He never made one, but that didn't matter to him...he just got to play basketball, and he went home a winner.

What I saw that season in basketball lived in my heart. I volunteered the next season and coached my son's team. He finally scored a point but to me he had scored from day one. He went home a winner after the very first practice. It was the coach who made sure that happened.

This past Saturday I stayed an extra game and watched that Coach again. I saw him motioning to a player to go to a particular spot on the floor near the basket and within shouting range of him for instruction. The coaches son brought the ball down the court and passed it to the child being guided by the coach. He heaved it toward the basket and it bounced off the backboard into the front of the rim and then down through the basket. The kid looked at his parents and smiled, they received a high five from another parent, and the coaches threw their arms in the air. The other team quickly in-bounded the ball and scored, but that did not matter to anyone. The Coach had made another child winner...and I thought what a great program!

As I now coach I look into my heart before each practice and prior to every game and think about am I making sure every child is a Winner? Not just on my team but on every team. Does the score not matter to me, do I realize the refs, the league Director, that all the people involved are volunteers? Do I make sure I rotate the players properly? What can I do to make a child feel special today? Am I going to be the reason another parent comes out of the stands and becomes part of the UPWARD league? I hope so, I pray that for myself, my fellow coaches, and for the continued success of UPWARD.

Thanks for letting me share my story
Name Held Upon Request