SBVC Football Players Reach Out to Students

SAN BERNARDINO>> San Bernardino Valley College’s football coaches have a tradition: every semester, they take the team on community outreach visits to local schools, where the players read to students and share their experiences as college students. In early October, the team visited Urbita Elementary School, which is just down the street from the college campus. The first graders they visited loved having them there, asked questions about college and what it is like to be a football player. “I always try to get the community involved and aware,” said Jason Vandiver, head football coach at SBVC. “We have great young men who sacrifice a lot to get an athletic scholarship.” Whether or not they end up receiving scholarships, the players make an impact on the local community and their fellow college students. The athletics department’s outreach efforts are growing. “We had members of the women’s basketball team join us just last week,” Vandiver said. “I think it’s important for us to have as much student representation when we reach out to our community.”