51视频

04/26/2017
By David Perry

Ardeth Thawnghmung began 鈥渢apping people on the shoulder鈥� in late October.

鈥淲hat are you doing April 2?鈥� the Political Science Department chair would ask colleagues and students.

Of course, it was a long way off. They didn鈥檛 really know.

She did.

On a cold Sunday morning at the Campus Recreation Center, Thawnghmung watched a gym full of folks play volleyball all day to raise funds for a new mentoring program at the Say Da Nar Community Development Center in Lowell. Thawnghmung, who is Burmese, is the president of the center, which serves the city鈥檚 growing Burmese population (Say Da Nar means 鈥済ood will鈥� in Burmese). It is run by volunteers, including several 51视频 students and alumni.

The event drew players from the community in addition to faculty and student players. Teams represented the urban farmers at Mill City Grows, the International Institute of New England, the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association and the African Community Center. The 14 teams each paid $100 to participate.聽

In the end, the team Bump Set Win topped Got Rice? to earn the title.

A 鈥渢hrilled鈥� Thawnghmung estimates the event raised just under $3,000 for the mentoring program. UML students will be involved as mentors, working with Burmese refugee students who are struggling to fit in while facing the challenges of academics and social issues in middle and high schools.

Participants were impressed with the success of the first-time event.

鈥淕etting the community together is always a good thing,鈥� said Lowell High School student Dalina Tur of the CMAA team. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun, too. And it鈥檚 something people play in parks all over the world.鈥澛�

鈥淚t鈥檚 an amazing way to build community through sport to benefit an afterschool program,鈥� said Monica Galizzi, chair of the Economics Department, as she watched the UMass faculty play Mill City Grows. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also a way of having university engagement with the community. It鈥檚 such a great idea, bringing people with different levels of experience and backgrounds together.

鈥淚t is,鈥� she added as a faculty player set up a teammate with a pass, 鈥渁 language that everybody understands.鈥�

The faculty posted an interdisciplinary team, drawing players from the realms of economics, computer science, psychology, engineering, English and political science. 聽Members of the River Hawks Division I volleyball team refereed the contests.

Two matches went on simultaneously in one half of the gym while, on the other side of a scrim, teams did prematch warm ups.聽

Emily Fritz 鈥�06 (peace and conflict studies) took donations at the door and handed out programs. She worked at Say Da Nar from 2012 to 2015 and is now working toward her master鈥檚 in public administration at the university. Nikki Lynch 鈥�14 (political science) also worked at Say Da Nar, but now sits on the center鈥檚 board of directors. She served as the fundraiser鈥檚 master of ceremonies.

Thawnghmung got the idea to use volleyball as a fundraiser because her 16-year-old daughter plays on the Lowell High School team.聽

鈥淚 follow her and watch her play and enjoy the sport so much,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I figured, why can鈥檛 we use it as a fun way to do something to help?鈥�

Dave Lewis, a professor in the Manning School of Business, heeded the call.

鈥淲ell, I played 50 years ago in high school,鈥� he said with a chuckle after the first game. 鈥淚 passed the ball the first time and fell on my behind. That reminded me how long it鈥檚 been. I鈥檒l probably feel that tomorrow. But it was worth it.鈥�