Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) women’s basketball Palmer Elementary
“Palmer Elementary was very excited about the possibility of us working together and wanted us to help with their reading initiative,” explains SAGU head coach Tiffany Phillips .
The reading initiative idea took off and the Lady Lions, with the help of the Fall in Love with a Good Book campaign, were able to pass out more books than they ever could have imagined. The athletes were able to give out exactly 483 books, one for each child in the elementary. The books were purchased by Palmer ISD.
Once all the books were handed out, the Lady Lions spent time reading one on one with many students. For Palmer Principal Allyson Spurgeon , that meant a great deal to the kids, “It was a wonderful experience for PES to have the SAGU Lady Lions come and not only read stories but talk about what it means to be a collegiate athlete. I heard many conversations about character, generosity and integrity. The girls had our students engaged in meaningful talk and activities that left our students wanting them to stay.”
“Being a coach you get to see some pretty amazing things but watching the young ladies interact with these children was pretty high up there,” remarks Phillips, “It’s emotional and rewarding for me.”
On top of the book campaign and the blessing boxes, SAGU was able to help a family that had lost their home in a fire. The home was of a pre-k student that received one of the blessing boxes. The Lady Lions helped provide gift cards and clothes for the family. Overall, the Palmer community raised over $7,000 for the family.
Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The university was established in 1927, and now offers more than 70 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-SAGU.
Contact: Natalie Tristan, SAGU SID, [email protected]
