PHILADELPHIA – A group of nearly 60 Villanova student-athletes, staff and alumni volunteers came together on Monday for the
Villanova Black Alumni Association's second-annual Juneteenth Service Project, in partnership with UNITAS and the
Office of Intercultural Affairs, this time held at Vaux Big Picture High School in Philadelphia.
Roughly 40 student-athletes representing football, women's basketball, cheerleading, women's soccer and water polo were in attendance to provide a helping hand by painting murals, gardening in the school's courtyard, assisting with library upkeep and cleaning the grounds in and around the school.
The entire day was capped by a student-athlete panel led by Temi Ajirotutu (football), Daniel Abraham (football), Tee Parris (water polo) and Kylie Swider (women's basketball). They along with some of their fellow Wildcats answered questions and provided insight to the Vaux student-athletes on a variety of topics including why they chose Villanova, what it means to be a college student and how they balance work in the classroom with their respective sports.
Ahead of the service day, Villanova Athletics had a community drive for laundry supplies as well for the service day. The collection included laundry detergent and other laundry supplies.
UNITAS is Villanova Athletics' framework to build a welcoming and supportive athletic department through constructive dialogs, educational programming and community engagement. Through UNITAS, Villanova Athletics is committed to fostering an inclusive, anti-bigotry environment where every member of the community has a voice and feels respected, valued and safe.
