Katherine Graham Visits Woodlawn Elementary

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KATHERINE GRAHAM (10-27-09):

With a day off from practice, I had the opportunity to visit "my" school. Our women's basketball team has a "school adoption program" where school adopt us and then we go visit with the students. We talk about things like education, attitude and hard work. My school is Woodlawn Elementary and they were incredible. Of course it helped that Principal Susan Kornuta is a season ticket holder and a huge Lady Tiger hoops fan! She has already prepared the students for my visit. It was a great afternoon and I can't wait to go back!

 

Filed under  //  Community   Player's Post  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Temeka Johnson Honors John Hawie

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TEMEKA JOHNSON (10-23-09):

Today I got to do something very special -- honor someone who really cares and has made a difference in my life and that of the Lady Tiger program. John Hawie has helped our program raise money (including a lot of his own) to help us do so many things like create an amazing basketball complex with a locker room, video theater, and player's lounge. Recently he endowed a scholarship in Coach Gunter's name and that really meant something special to me. But it is so much more than the money -- he genuinely cares about us as players and young people. He also has made a difference in my HOPE Foundation with support so today I surprised him before practice with a WNBA basketball autographed by the Phoenix Mercury! It is just a small way to say thanks to someone very deserving. Judy Southard stopped by to give her thanks to John as well and I enjoyed visiting with her as well.

 

 
For more info on Meek's foundation: www.MeeksHope.org

 

 

Filed under  //  Community   Sue Gunter   Temeka Johnson  
Posted by Bill Martin  

A Visit from Gray Elementary

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COACH CHANCELLOR (10-23-09):

We had a wonderful day at LSU today. Besides having a good practice this afternoon, I got to spend the morning with some enthusiastic young people from Gray Elementary. This is becoming a yearly tradition where they visit our campus and meet with them in the PMAC to talk to them and take them through a few basketball drills. What a great group of kids! They were full of energy and very polite -- hope to see them again at a Lady Tiger game!

 

 

Filed under  //  Community   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Lady Tigers Launches GPA Program

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COACH STARKEY (10-22-09):
A new element of our program's community outreach program this year is our partnership with the East Baton Rouge Parish School system. We have initiated GPA (which stands for Goals, Perserverance, and Achievement). There are many components to the program which we will talk about throughout the year but one of the main ones is having local elementary schools "adopt" a player from our team. That player than visits the school at various times to mentor the students and help with other school projects. Today was the first day and are first Lady Tiger representatives were Adrienne Webb (Highland Elementary), Destini Hughes (Park Elementary) and LaSondra Barrett who joined with Temeka Johnson to visit Scotlandville Elementary. Our young ladies did a great job today and we are really proud to have them give back on a day off -- but it is THE LADY TIGER WAY!

 

Filed under  //  Community  
Posted by Bill Martin  

TEMEKA VISITS MAGNOLIA WOODS ELEMENTARY

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TEMEKA JOHNSON (10-16-09):

Hey Lady Tiger fans! I'm loving this "Lady Tiger Way Blog" -- what a great idea! I've been busy since the WNBA Championship with my HOPE Foundation. I'm so passionate about trying to find away to give back. I've spend the past three days visiting a lot of places and this morning is one of my favorites -- Magnolia Woods Elementary here in Baton Rouge. I adopted the school last year through my Foundation and have enjoyed it so much that I adopted it again this year! The administration and teachers there are so amazing -- I respect them so much because they care a great deal about the students. And the kids are so enthusiastic! Today I met with the entire school at assembly and visited several classroom. Well, gotta run now to get ready for my celebration party with the Fast Break Club and LSU season ticket holders tonight -- hope to see you there!

 

Filed under  //  Community   Temeka Johnson  
Posted by Bill Martin  

GREAT NEW PICS OF MEEK!

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BOB STARKEY (10-16-09):

Going to be a lot of Meek stuff on the blog this weekend. It's "Temeka Johnson Weekend" in Baton Rouge and New Orleans in which she is out and about visiting kids, working in schools and visiting parts of these communities as part of her HOPE Foundation. She's even going to blog a little later tonight as well. But in the meantime.......Bill Martin, our SID, just received some fresh pics of Meek from the Championship Series and we wanted to share them with you!

 

Filed under  //  Community   Temeka Johnson  
Posted by Bill Martin  

JOHN HAWIE ENDOWS SCHOLARSHIP IN THE NAME OF COACH SUE GUNTER

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COACH STARKEY (10-12-09):
One of my favorite people in the world is John Hawie. He not only is a support of LSU athletics but has been a tremendous supporter of Lady Tiger Basketball. In fact, John has become someone that has grown to love the game of women's basketball on all levels and I always enjoy talking about our game with him. John is someone who has been supporting our efforts for a long time -- before it was fashionable but recently he took it to an entirely greater level. It was announced at the half-time of the LSU-Florida football game that John would be endowing a scholarship in the name of Coach Sue Gunter as part of the Tiger Athletic Foundation's Foundation of Champions. The idea of endowing the scholarship in Coach Gunter's name came from John and his love and respect for her and her accomplishments. The financial support is truly important but his understanding of our program's legacy is priceless -- THANKS JOHN!!!

Filed under  //  Community   In the Classroom   Sue Gunter  
Posted by Bill Martin  

BENGAL BELLES AND LADY TIGERS TEAM UP TO FIGHT BREAST CANCER

COACH CHANCELLOR (10-9-09):
Today I had a wonderful opportunity to speak to the Bengal Belles. They are an amazing and powerful group of women that have had a tremendous impact on LSU and the Baton Rouge community. Bob (Starkey) was telling me all the amazing work they've done throughout the years and he came up with the idea of getting them involved in our Pink Zone Game which this year will be played on February 18 against Vanderbilt. Each year we play a game to promote Breast Cancer Awareness. It's a wonderful event! If you've been you've noticed our players wear pink uniforms and our staff coaches in pink tennis shoes. There's also a lot of other neat things involved. Last year, Coach Starkey and his wife Sherie (a breast cancer survivor) donated a $1 for every student that attended to the Kay Yow Foundation. We are so excited about having the Bengal Belles on board with this because first they are amazing successful in all the projects that associate with and second, this is a cause that they can relate to and rally around. I love it when a TEAM comes together for a common cause.

 

Filed under  //  Community   Marketing & Promotions   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Sylvia and Seimone Visit Walter Reed Hospital

SYLVIA FOWLES (10-1-09):

"I enjoyed myself for the most part. It was very eye-opening just to see these people from the war who were banged up and injured, but still had the right mindset about life. I’m happy we paid a visit to them because they really look forward to these (types of) visits. They tell us how we lighten their day, so I’m happy I was able to help someone smile today."

 
Comments from Big Syl who joined Seimone and visited

 
Following today’s (10-1-09) practice, the USA Basketball Women’s National Team had an opportunity to visit with some of the wounded soldiers recovering at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. After a briefing from a member of the United Service Organizations, better known as the USO, the team broke up into small groups of 4-5 and visited troops in their hospital rooms.

Filed under  //  Community   Player's Post   Seimone Augustus   Sylvia Fowles   Team USA  
Posted by Bill Martin  

SEIMONE GAINS INSPIRATION FROM WOUNDED

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The following comes from an article written by Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press:


Seimone Augustus hasn’t been able to play at the U.S. women’s basketball training camp while she rehabilitates her injured left knee.

She’s been cheering from the sideline and working on her rehab, but misses being on the court with her teammates. Still, the camp hasn’t been a total loss for the Minnesota Lynx guard.
A post practice trip by the national team to Walter Reed hospital to visit wounded soldiers really helped put her ACL injury in perspective.

“Going through my rehab and stuff like that, I’ve been feeling down on myself and depressed and I shouldn’t,” Augustus said. “They’ve been through worse things than me and they’re calm.”

There was one soldier whom she met who was fortunate to be alive. He had an injured spine and neck and was wounded when a bomb went off underneath his vehicle. Right as the bomb went off, the soldier remembered to push away from his gun so as not to be further hurt. He told her how many soldiers are hurt worse when they bang their heads into their guns after a bomb goes off.

Some of his fellow soldiers in the vehicle weren’t so lucky.

“Just to know this guy was almost killed and he’s here talking to us and happy to see us is a special thing,” Augustus said. “These guys go out and risk their lives every day and not know if they’re going to come back home alive or not. To hear about their experiences is a motivational factor for me.”

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/CaqIj

Filed under  //  Community   Seimone Augustus   Team USA  
Posted by Bill Martin