UCA soccer player, Jacob Campbell, was featured in the spring issue of the UCA Magazine for his inspirational story of determination. Read the story here!
His amazing story was also featured on KATV Channel 7, and the video is available here.
Athletics
UCA Athletic Trainer Awarded Athletic Trainer Service Award
Steve Hornor, MA, LAT, ATC has been awarded the Athletic Trainer Service Award by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA).
This prestigious national award recognizes NATA members for their exceptional and unique contributions to the athletic training profession. It reflects a lifetime of dedication to the association and the field of athletic training at the national and district levels.
Steve will be presented with this award during the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in St. Louis, MO in June 2015.
In addition to being a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association, and the Arkansas Athletic Trainers’ Association, Steve has also been serving as the chair of the Public Relations Committee for the Arkansas Athletic Trainers’ Association.
UCA Volleyball Team Tournament Competed In Arlington
UCA’s first ever men’s volleyball team competed in their first tournament last weekend at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Pennell’s Bears Help Fight Illiteracy
Coaching for Literacy (CFL) is excited to add the University of Central Arkansas men’s basketball team to its list of Assistant Coach Program partners for the 2014-2015 season.
The concept of the Assistant Coach Program with UCA is simple: A $10 donation enters an individual into a raffle where the winner and a friend get to be “Assistant Coaches” with the UCA Bears for a home basketball game against Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
A pregame meal with the team, courtside access, admittance to the locker room, autographed memorabilia, and UCAattire, provided by CFL partner Peter Millar, are just some of the perks provided for the raffle winners. All proceeds are then reallocated by CFL to its effective literacy partners both in Conway, Ark. and Memphis, Tenn.
“Twenty percent of Americans read below the level needed to earn a living wage,” said Ryan Viner, executive director of Coaching for Literacy. “This statistic is one of many, which illustrates that our fellow community members are fighting against a major problem – illiteracy. The University of Central Arkansas, Head Coach Russ Pennell, and the UCA Athletic Department are committed to raising the level of awareness about the problem and being part of the solution through Coaching for Literacy’s Assistant Coach Program. We are grateful for their partnership and hope many more programs follow their leadership.”
“Education has always been a top priority for me and our basketball program,” said UCA Bears head coach Russ Pennell. “The basic fundamental of learning is the ability to read and comprehend. That is why I am so excited about being involved with Coaching for Literacy. It brings awareness to an alarming problem in our country; the ability to read, and it also provides solutions. These are the type of causes we endorse and support as the UCA Basketball Family.”
The Conway literacy partner is Child Care Aware of Northcentral Arkansas. “Child Care Aware of Northcentral Arkansas has literacy and learning materials available to child care providers who work with young children. We know that the quality of educational experiences a child receives from birth to five years of age has a direct correlation to future social and academic success,” said Debbie Webb. “We are thankful that CFL and UCA recognize the importance of literacy and early learning efforts and have included Child Care Aware in the fight against illiteracy.”
Interested in fighting illiteracy with the UCA Bears and CFL? $10 of support enters you into a raffle to win a once in a lifetime experience with the UCA Bears. The deadline to enter is Saturday, Jan. 10.
For more information, visit http://coachingforliteracy.org/assets/Coaching-for-Literacy-Assistant-Coach-Program-Guide-UCA.pdf.
UCA Athletic Training Students Holiday Food Drive Was Huge Success
During the months of November and December, the Central Arkansas Athletic Training Students’ Association (CAATSA) held its Annual Holiday Food Drive, which resulted in over 2,000 pounds of non-perishable food items being donated to the Bethlehem House of Conway and the University of Central Arkansas Bear Essential Food Bank.
Allen Crawford, CAATSA faculty advisor, stated that the food drive is held each year on the UCA campus. Since 2008, CAATSA has donated over 4,500 pounds of non-perishable food items to various food banks in the Conway community.
“This year was the most successful year for the food drive since its inception seven years ago,” Crawford added. “We were able to gather over a ton of non-perishable food items in less than two months. Working in partnership with the community food banks, we are able to reach the families and citizens who are in need of the items.”
The donations for the food drive were made possible by UCA Kinesiology and Physical Education Faculty and Staff, the UCA Strength and Conditioning Staff, university students, various student-athletes, and the Conway Police Department’s SWAT Team. Donations were taken to community food banks prior to the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays.
Crawford stated “We are very appreciative and thank everyone who donated to the food drive, which allowed CAATSA to make the donations to the food banks. Giving back to the community is a core value of UCA, our program, and our partners in this effort.”
Bethlehem House serves as a food pantry and temporary shelter for families in the Conway, Arkansas community and offers case management, employment assistance, life skills training, advocacy, education, vocational counseling, transportation, guidance and the support necessary to recover from the devastation of homelessness. For more information, visit their website.
The University of Central Arkansas Bear Essential Food Bank is located in Room 108 of the Main Building on the UCA campus. The bank is open on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Information about the bank can be found by contacting Brian James at bearessentials@uca.edu; Reesa at (501) 450-3138 or reesar@uca.edu; or Marvin Williams at (501) 450-5149 or marvinw@uca.edu.
In addition to the food drive, CAATSA completed another community service project during the holiday season of 2014. The CAATSA students participated in the Samaritan’s Purse: Operation Christmas Child and bought needed items to fill shoe boxes for underprivileged children. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine. This is the second year the association has participated in Operation Christmas Child and members collectively donated 10 shoe boxes of needed items. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has donated over 100 million shoe boxes with toys to children worldwide. For more information on Samaritan’s Purse visit www.samaritanspurse.org.
“I am proud of our students for the effort they gave to make sure children in need will have a Merry Christmas this year. I am honored to be a part of CAATSA and to have participated in Operation Christmas Child. With the donations, parents and support organizations are able to check off some items on the wish lists of the children,” Andrew Tackett, CAATSA President, said.
CAATSA is a recognized student organization at UCA. Its membership is made of students who are athletic training majors or have been accepted into the accredited Athletic Training Program. The association’s objectives are to promote the profession of Athletic Training and uphold the standards of the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer (BOC) and National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA). In addition, members strive to provide an association for individuals with common interests and goals for the betterment of the Athletic Training profession. For more information regarding this association, contact Faculty Advisor Allen Crawford at acrawford@uca.edu.