Duke Athletics is committed to giving back to both the campus and surrounding community. Duke provides student-athletes with opportunities to serve their surrounding communities, which allows the young men and women of Duke Athletics to become a meaningful contributor to society. Teams and individual student-athletes are involved in various charities and community organizations.
Mission
Duke Athletics states, “The goal of community service within Duke Athletics is to give student-athletes the opportunity to support and become involved with the organizations they connect with and has a passion for. Every student-athlete is given the chance to be involved and understand the value of servant leadership”.
Duke Athletics Community Work
Read with the Blue Devils – This program is partnered with the Durham County Sheriff’s Department to promote the value of reading. The RWBD program demonstrates the importance of hard work and literacy to Durham County Elementary School students. The program offers reading incentives and Duke student-athlete visits to elementary students who read at least fifteen minutes a night. Each RWBD visit begins with Durham County Police Officers discussing the impact of good and bad choices with the students, followed by Duke student-athletes reading a short story, and ending with a fun “Q&A” session.
Oxford Housing Authority – The Oxford Housing Authority is located in Oxford, North Carolina. Members from the Oxford community visit Duke University for home football games. Student-athletes partner with/act as a tour guide to families and Oxford middle school students, as they show them around West Campus, the K Center, and their athletics facilities. Students share stories on what it means for them to be a student-athlete at Duke University and experiences from their journey. The Oxford Housing Authority is provided football posters as well as sideline passes to enjoy pregame festivities.
Swim with the Blue Devils – The Duke Swim team provided 8 free swim clinics to local children. With typically 25 children each session, and with the help of undergrads and graduate students, this program has been very successful.
Ronald McDonald House – Duke student-athletes visit the Durham Ronald McDonald House to support the first home built outside of an NFL affiliated city. Student-athletes organize game nights, create menus, and prepare meals for the families at Durham Ronald McDonald House.
Duke Children’s Hospital & Camp Kaleidoscope – In February, the men’s lacrosse team contributed a combined total of 300 hours in helping with Duke Children’s Radio Thon. Men’s basketball student-athletes and staff visited Duke Children’s Hospital in January, as well as continued their tradition of supporting and participating in Duke Children’s Classic in May. Special requested and unique visits to patients passionate about track and soccer were fulfilled in October and August by student-athletes from the Men’s Track, Cross Country, and Soccer Teams. In the summer, athletes and coaches from men’s soccer, as well as women’s swimming each spent a day at Camp Kaleidoscope (a summer retreat for families with autistic children). In addition, student-athletes from women’s basketball, and football helped with Duke Children’s Classic in various roles.
Honorable Statistics
Duke Athletics annually partners with over 50 Organizations from around the Globe, annually interacts with over 800 elementary kids, and annually conducts over 2,000 hours of Community Service.
