WEEKLY SPOTLIGHT:  NC Wesleyan men’s basketball serves area holiday meals

Rocky Mount, NC -This past week served a time to give thanks… thanks for good health, thanks for shelter, thanks for family, thanks for many of the things taken for granted on a daily basis. Realizing this, the North Carolina Wesleyan men’s basketball team and head coach John Thompson took time out to serve Thanksgiving meals to over 50 area homeless people at Rocky Mount’s United Community Ministries on Thursday.

Majority of Wesleyan students headed home on Tuesday afternoon to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with their families. Thompson’s 17 guys, however, remained on campus to prepare for the Gallaudet University Holiday Tournament, which began on Friday in Washington, D.C. The Bishops took a break from practice on Thursday and headed to the McDonald Street shelter to serve meals and wash dishes.

Junior Lenny Hall said that serving the community allowed the team to build chemistry off the court, while showing that Wesleyan has a genuine concern for the Rocky Mount area and its citizens. Freshman Lamont Stokes added, “Serving the homeless was a humbling experience. It made us realize how truly blessed we are.”

Wesleyan went on to win the Gallaudet Tournament, led by Hall’s Most Valuable Player performance. The Bishops will host Roanoke Bible College on Tuesday night and the 2006 Roger Taylor Invitational on Friday and Saturday.