NFL STAR KEEPING FOCUS CENTERED ON COMMUNITY
The headlines in the local newspaper herald the accomplishments of the Henderson/Vance girls as they beat a team from Luzerne County, Pa.
number scheduled to take part in the upcoming summer program that features arts and crafts as well as bowling field trips and a visit to the Triangle to watch the Durham Bulls play. “Of course I’m biased, but I think the Y offers a lot to the community,” Caudle said. “There’s a reason why we have ‘family’ in our name, Henderson Family YMCA. We want to encourage families to be involved.” There may not have been a better representative for the community than the 2010 Henderson/Vance Babe Ruth World Series champions. The 16-under
Jason Brown returned home again this spring to show his appreciation to community volunteers as a sponsor for HendersonVance Spring Litter Sweep Clean-Up Day hosted by the local appearance commissions. NFL star and the St. Louis Rams’ reigning Man of the Year, the Henderson native distributed T-shirts to volunteers. His foundation, Wisdom of Life Ministry, paid for a luncheon for volunteers and gave cash awards to those who collected the most debris. Brown received the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award from the Rams in 2010 for his community service as well as his on-thefield performance. His passion for community service was evident when the Rams signed him in 2009. In addition to his own foundation, Brown volunteered his time in the St. Louis community and became the honorary spokesperson for a program designed to combat the dropout rate. He partici-
All-Stars’ national championship in Virginia last summer helped to show how far girls’ sports and the HendersonVance Recreation and Parks Department’s programs have come. “When softball started 20 years ago with just a couple of teams, nobody thought we could have gone that far,” said Recreation and Parks Director Gill Alan Gill. Youth sports at the Rec Department are open to ages as young as 5. Gill said the overarching 5
Jason Brown pated in numerous Rams’ community activities. His greatest passion, however, is military and veteran outreach. Brown has a personal connection to the military as his brother, Lunsford Bernard Brown II, was killed while serving in Iraq in September 2003. The son of Bernard and Deborah Brown of Vance County, Jason was a standout lineman and track and field athlete at Northern Vance High School and played for the University of NFL — CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
objective is for children to learn new sports, develop those sports’ skills and, most importantly, have fun. “If they’re not having fun, they won’t participate very long,” he said. The Rec Department also offers Vance Aquatics, a swim team, as well as the Henderson Rec Players, a community theater program. North Carolina AAU Tackle Football Director Joe Brodie is doing his part in keeping youths active. Three years ago, Brodie founded the Henderson Panthers, the first AAU footYouth — CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 ISION ance V
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