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LAWRENCE, Mass. – The Boston Celtics and Optum came together once again this fall to host “Make a Difference Through Volunteering” in a local community. Partnering with the Lawrence Public School district, the two organizations worked as one to impact the Frost School in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
The annual investment this season featured a full-sized, Celtics-themed basketball court renovation to provide students with a safe place to play. The gymnasium was unveiled Tuesday morning prior to the start of the volunteer efforts.
Lucky the Leprechaun did the honors of marking the reopening of the court with one of his highflying dunk shows, and Celtics players Jae Crowder, Jonas Jerebko and Kelly Olynyk were also on-site to lend a hand and celebrate the transformation.
Crowder, Jerebko and Olynyk visited the volunteer workspaces and provided assistance where needed, before heading into the library to connect one-on-one with the student body. The three Celtics forwards hit it off with the youth instantly as they conversed about how the ideals behind a volunteer day can be used within everyone’s daily lives to shape how we can make an impact.
Olynyk, for instance, used an analogy of teamwork to describe the effect that a volunteer day has on a community.
“You get power in numbers. Individually, we are all pretty good basketball players, but we are at our best when we play together,” Olynyk stated while pointing to his teammates in attendance. “All of you are great kids and students, but if you come together as one school, you can help each other and raise the level of learning to the next level.
“And that is what a community does for each other and what we are doing today. It helps everyone because by working together we can accomplish more!”
One student added to the Olynyk’s point by sharing how he spends his summer volunteering at the local community center as a lifeguard for younger kids in his neighborhood.
The discussion led by the athletes captured the importance of giving back and being a positive influence for others.
Throughout the day, volunteers worked to complete projects designed by the Care Force division of City Year to help enhance the functionality and aesthetics of key areas at the educational complex.
By sunset, every inch of the school was fully transformed through the power of teamwork, just as Olynyk had described.