High school soccer players spent Friday morning volunteering with residents at the Avantara facility in Evergreen Park.
Avantara offers memory care services and other health services to senior citizens and the outing, organized by Buddy’s Helpers, a Chicago-based nonprofit that pairs high school athletes with volunteer projects, highlighted August as Senior Citizen Month.
The 25 soccer players from Brother Rice, Marist, Eisenhower, Shepard, Richards and Mount Carmel spent the morning serving breakfast snacks, playing bingo, Uno and just chatting with seniors at Avantara.
“They’re competitors on the field but they’re teammates in the game of life,” said Jonny Rodriguez, a volunteer with Buddy’s’ Helpers and an alum of the program.
Rodriguez explained the nonprofit likes to bring together different teams whose members would normally never meet outside competition and get them working together. The events give back to the community and, Rodriguez said, can translate into lasting friendships.
He said he went to Thornton High School in Harvey and just graduated from Northwestern, but still has friends he met through such events.
“It’s great to meet people through these events and then connect with later on,” he said.
Rodriguez said especially for people who remain in the area, such high school friendships are important.
“Soccer ends one day, soccer isn’t forever,” he said. “It’s these connections you make, the power of sport, that take you on later in life.”
Rodriguez said Buddy’s Helpers organizes an event about once a month. These teams were picked because they’d all played each other in the Body Armor Sports Series.
Outside the facility, as the athletes waited for breakfast supplies to arrive, coaches told the students to remember the residents have lived full lives and to take advantage of their experiences, asking them about things they’ve lived through.
Brian Rodriguez, a senior at Eisenhower High School, said he’s been with Buddys’ Helpers for three years.
“I actually really enjoy them,” he said.
Brian Rodriguez said he also volunteers with his church and school, and said he likes giving back whenever he can.
“You’re using your time in a useful way, in a positive manner,” he said. “For example, in an event like this, we’re learning from them and, let’s say you’re cleaning up the community or going to another nursing home, you’re improving your community. You’re never wasting your time.”
Jonny Rodriguez said improving the community is another goal, in addition to developing friendships off the field.
“You can always look for things bigger than yourself and make a difference in your community,” he said. “And you meet lots of people — you’re not doing it on your own.”
Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
