Contact: Michael Mehalik
(740) 264-7176
Release At Will
Bethany Athletes Bond with Special Needs Students
STEUBENVILLE- The Bethany Bison baseball team is continuing its streak of generosity with students at the
School of Bright Promise.
The team has visited the school for the past two years to interact with special needs students, and most recently they
provided daily updates to the school while undergoing spring training in Florida. Plans are currently in the works for
the Bison to host the students as guests of honor during a baseball game on April 19.
“We’re going to gather the kids and go on the field, and we’re going to have a cookout before the game,” said
Rachel Bodo, principal at the School of Bright Promise. “Someone from our school will also throw the first pitch. It’s
going to be a fun day.”
Nearly 50 students are expected to attend in addition to staff members, and Bodo said a special extended school day
will take place. Students are scheduled to arrive at Bethany College around 11 a.m., where they will congregate with
the baseball players, enjoy a meal, and attend the 2 p.m. game. The buses will return to Steubenville and students can
be picked up at the school around 4:45 p.m.
It is not the first time students have attended a ballgame; they got to watch a Pirates matchup last year. Bodo, whose
family is friends with baseball coach Rick Carver, said she and the coach initially planned for the college players to
pair up with the special needs children during “Fall Out with the Bethany Bison Day.” It has been very successful and
42 athletes took part during the most recent activities this past October. They spent the day with the students making
crafts, doing activities, playing outside at recess, eating lunch, and reading stories and even Boomer the Bison mascot
got involved. The team also distributed jerseys, some of which adorn walls and bulletin boards in the classrooms,
along with team photos. Bodo said a real bond has formed between the athletes and her students.
“It’s been a two-year partnership that began with Bison Day. Then on our last day before Christmas break, the
coach dropped off Christmas cookies and cupcakes from the team,” she said.
Most recently, ballplayer Jake Stemmerich gave daily Facebook posts about the team’s adventures in the Sunshine
State.
“It started on March 1. On their days off, they went to the beach and NASA. He also gave information on their
games,” she said. “He sent photos and volunteered to be the one who would share information with us.”
Bodo relayed messages to the school said acts like this mean so much to her pupils and the school.
“The classes continue to send cards and notes to the teammates,” she added, saying the kids enjoy every minute of
it.
-30-
(Photo Cutline: Amelia Taggart, a student at the School of Bright Promise in Steubenville, creates a card for
Bethany Bison baseball players amid an array of team photos and items posted on the classroom wall. The
team and students have forged a strong bond, and the students will be guests of honor at a ballgame on April
19.)