June 3, 2008

Student, alum bike thousands of miles for youth sports camp

Lydia Lockhart, a senior from Fishers, Ind., and Aaron Soellinger, a May 2008 graduate from Fortville, Ind., will cycle through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and northern California on their way to San Francisco. They will camp at state parks during the trip that is expected to take more than 40 days.

Steve Gjerstad, a visiting professor at Purdue's School of Management who has made the ride before with his miniature Australian shepherd Annabelle, will join them in Iowa. The dog has a cart to ride in, and she also can run alongside the bike.

 "If our professor and his 3-year-old dog can make the long bike ride, so can we," said Lockhart, who is studying law and society. "We were looking for a charity to support, and when we heard that this camp for underprivileged children lost its funding, we wanted to help."

People interested in making a donation to support the camp can call the Department of Health and Kinesiology at (765) 494-3178.

The Purdue Athletes Life Success Program, which was formerly known as Purdue's National Youth Sports Program, was once one of 200 programs around the country. In 2007, the national program withdrew its funding, and Purdue's program continued with support from the university and community. The program's new name is inspired by its partnership with former Boilermaker All-American and current NFL quarterback Drew Brees, the Brees Dream Foundation and Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union, which is known as PEFCU.

Purdue's program is free for campers, ages 10-16, who are selected based on referrals from local schools. This year's camp is scheduled for June 12 through July 11. The students, in teams of 15, rotate through activity stations that include basketball, softball, swimming, soccer and volleyball. They also will participate in a class on financial literacy conducted by PEFCU employees.

"Lydia, Aaron and Steve will have 300 campers cheering them on while they make their journey," said Bill Harper, program director and head of the Department of Health and Kinesiology. "By following their journey, our students will learn about geography, perseverance and making a difference."

Lockhart and Soellinger will return to Indiana by car when finished. Soellinger will attend graduate school at Indiana University this fall, and Lockhart plans to graduate from Purdue in December. Gjerstad will begin a research position at Chapman University in Orange, Cal., where he will work with Vernon Smith, the 2002 winner of the Nobel Prize in economics.

Funds for the Purdue Athletes Life Success Program also are being raised at a celebrity golf event June 14 at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. The event, called the Brees Dream Foundation Golf Outing, is sponsored by PEFCU.

Tee time for the second annual outing is at 1:15 p.m., but golfers can arrive at 11 a.m. for check-in, lunch, car and club service, and warm up with official Nike club demonstrations. Player registration and hole sponsorship information is available by calling (765) 497-7444. The fee is $125 a person and $500 for a foursome. Fees include lunch, golf shirt and a cocktail reception where exclusive sports memorabilia will be auctioned by Brees after golf.

The community also is invited to bid on silent auction items and attend the public galleries on the course for a chance to meet and greet former Purdue athletes. The Brees Dream Foundation and PEFCU have committed $50,000 from this event in each of the next five years to Purdue's youth sports camp.

Since its launch in 2002, more than 1,000 children have attended the camp. Because the program receives much community support, giving back is a central theme for Purdue's program, Harper said. Last year campers participated in community outreach projects, such as helping the American Cancer Society set up its Relay for Life fundraiser, organizing items at Trinity Mission's thrift shop and visiting veterans at the Indiana Veterans' Home. Other organizations will be selected this year.

Purdue researchers in the Department of Health and Kinesiology also are studying how participation in the camp benefits children by measuring their physical fitness and academic achievement year round. Research results, as well as anecdotal evidence from the local schools, show that participation in the camp has a significant positive effect on the attitudes of children regarding social relationships, education, self-perception and sportsmanship.

Writers:    Amy Patterson Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu

Sources:   Lydia Lockhart, (317) 503-5737

Aaron Soellinger, (317) 833-7850

William Harper, (765) 494-3178, wharper@purdue.edu

Steve Gjerstad, gjerstad@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Lydia Lockhart and Aaron Soellinger are leaving at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday (June 4.) from the fountain at the west end of the Meyers pedestrian bridge in Tapawingo Park. They will be there at 8:55 a.m. to answer any media questions before they leave. Members of the public also are invited to track the route and post a message at https://www.annabelletrailfoundation.com. The cyclists' Web site is expected to be set up by Friday (June 6).

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