Oak Forest HS Girls' Soccer Team Visits Smith Crossing

The Oak Forest High School Girls’ Soccer Team visited the Smith Crossing Nursing Home in Orland Park recently to share some Valentines, candy, and laughs with the senior citizens who live there. The event was organized by Junior Christina Majercak as part of the PepsiCo Showdown Tournament that the team plays in. The event encourages community service and “Making a Difference on and Off of the Field.” “We created Valentine’s butterflies with little uplifting sayings on them like “You light up my world” or “Your smile is one in a billion” to make the senior citizens feel good. We also gave candy to every resident,” Majercak said. Freshman Amelia Price’s Great-Grandmother, Dorothy Kern, otherwise known to her as “Gram,” lives at Smith Crossing. She said, “We went to spend time with the elderly because they don’t have company or sometimes don’t have family that visits often.” Amelia loved the hot chocolate and cookies that Smith Crossing provided to the girls and she really loved the ice-breaker PowerPoint that included questions like, “What are your 5 favorite restaurants?” and “What are 3 things you couldn’t live without?” These slides gave the seniors and the girls lots of things to talk about. Pretty soon, Price said, the girls were calling up music on their cell phones and sharing their likes with the seniors and playing the songs the seniors liked as well. OFHS Freshman Soccer Coach Mike Daluga said, “This was all part of PepsiCo’s Random Acts of Kindness Challenge, and it was a huge success! The team had a great time watching the faces of the elders light up as we told them about ourselves and when we gave them our treats! This was an important project because it gave some elders the company that they truly needed! They were beyond excited to have us there and even more grateful for our little gifts. The team learned that the littlest things could put a smile on someone’s face!” In a few weeks, the OFHS Girls’ Soccer program will be competing in the PepsiCo Showdown Soccer Tournament, the largest soccer tournament in the United States, which is hosted in Chicago April 7-14. Participating in the nursing home visit were: Jenna Dennis, Amelia Price, Rachel Baliano, Kaleigh Birk, Brianna Scauf, Emily Bertucci, Christina Majercak, Madison Cline, Katherine Holewa, Carmela Ceriale, Isabelle Deane, Marissa Toshi, Angelique Flores, Amy Nayi, Antonette Anchinges, a senior citizen friend, Mary O’Callahan, Catalina Sesma, and Emily Montes. The OFHS Head Varsity Coach is Pam Whitehead, Varsity Assistant Coaches are Nicole Papiernick and Curby Marshall, Sophomore Coach is Katie McEathron, and Freshman Coach is Mike Daluga.