GoHeels Exclusive: Pen Pal Program Something To Write Home About
May 4, 2018 | Field Hockey, Student-Athlete Development, Carolina Outreach
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
There are many ways UNC student-athletes give back to the community. But for Eric Alverson and his three daughters, the Carolina Athletics Pen Pal program will always stand out.Â
The 2017-18 school year marked the fifth consecutive year that UNC student-athletes exchanged letters every few weeks with students at New Hope Elementary School in Chapel Hill. Each year, one of Alverson's daughters has participated in the program.
First came Emma. Then there was Rachel. Finally, Molly, Alverson's youngest daughter and currently a fifth grader at New Hope, also received the chance to forge a connection with a Tar Heel student-athlete through handwritten notes.
"All I wanted to say was thank you. As a parent, thank you," Alverson said. "It's such a cool thing for these kids to be able to come out here and see college athletes, some they've seen on TV and some who will never be on TV. But they take the time."
This year, more than 300 UNC student-athletes corresponded with pen pals. Kyle Murphy, a Tar Heel student-athlete on the football team, was this year's coordinator for the program, which includes members of all 28 varsity sports.
Alverson said Molly's pen pal plays field hockey, a sport that was previously unfamiliar to Molly.
"We had soccer, volleyball and I'm trying to remember if there was a track or cross country," Alverson said. "It's been very diverse, a good mix. It wasn't just football or basketball or baseball, what I would consider traditional sports. They got to learn about and see some others."
At the Carolina baseball game on April 25, this year's Pen Pal program culminated with Molly and her fellow New Hope students meeting their pen pals for the first time. The elementary schoolers and college students mingled over pizza, chatting about school and other interests. Many then stayed to watch UNC's 8-2 win over Western Carolina at Boshamer Stadium.
Morgan Goff, a sophomore on the women's soccer team, had one pen pal as a freshman. This year, she wrote to two elementary school students.
"It makes me feel like way more important," Goff said. "It makes me feel like they look up at me, and they have cool questions to ask and I get to answer and kind of help them along.
"It's really entertaining to see what they write. I have one who is extra entertaining. And it was pretty cool getting to meet her, talk to her and kind of understand why she wrote those things."
Upon meeting her, Goff said one of her pen pals asked if playing for the women's soccer team and writing letters were parts of Goff's job.
"She thought I was already an adult," Goff said, "and I still feel like a kid."
Although they don't communicate like they did through the Pen Pal program, Alverson said his other two daughters have continued to interact with their former pen pals on social media. And now Molly will have her own connection to the program.
"She'll go home, she'll have her poster and she'll tell her sisters all about it," Alverson said, "and it will be her moment."