Carmel High School boys soccer coach Shane Schmidt has always felt strongly that his players should make a positive contribution to the community.
It started with the soccer team holding the Make Good Decisions Pack the House Night to raise awareness about the Indiana Lifeline Law, which provides limited immunity from prosecution for underage drinking and drinking offenses for persons who seek medical assistance related to an alcohol-related health emergency. In August 2012, former CHS soccer player Brett Finbloom died from alcohol poisoning shortly before leaving for his freshman year at the University of Oklahoma. His friends were afraid of getting in trouble for underage drinking and waited too long to call for medical help.
The soccer team continues to hold that event, which is set for at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 during a match against Guerin Catholic, but Schmidt wanted to do more soon after.
“I thought it would be great for us to start giving back to the community in a different way,” he said.
Schmidt has been taking players to help the St. Vincent House for about 10 years. St. Vincent House provides overnight guest rooms for families who live more than 60 miles from Ascension St. Vincent who might have financial barriers covering the cost of hotels and food to be near a loved one who is hospitalized.
“We donate a bunch of food and water, and we stock their pantries,” said Schmidt, who said the team members spent two hours Sept. 7 at St. Vincent House. “All the leftover food we put in storage for them. We cleaned the inside of the building. We wiped down every single toy in the toy room and every book in the library.”
The team made a breakfast of eggs, sausage and pancakes for the residents.
Schmidt said players do exterior work around the house, rake leaves and pressure wash dumpsters. They donate cleaning supplies and laundry detergents.
Players working at the St. Vincent House were from the varsity and junior varsity teams. The freshmen team helped coordinate the majority of the food pickups. The freshman players collected money to purchase a pallet of water.
“They were excited because they were out of water,” Schmidt said. “When we went in, the cupboards were truly bare. There was hardly any food left. They are so dependent on donations. They were over the moon that we brought in 30 cases of water along with the pallet.”
Schmidt said one senior wrote his favorite soccer moment was being at the St. Vincent House.
“My hope is over all these years if only a couple of them take something like this and pay it forward and start something like this down the road, then that’s awesome,” said Schmidt, who is in his 18th year as head coach.
Another community initiative launched last year when the team started a Cancer Screening Awareness game, where Ascension St. Vincent professionals attend and hand out literature about screenings. It will be held at noon Sept. 21 when CHS plays hosts to Homestead.
At the banquet, the freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams have a contest to see who can bring the most food donations to the school’s backpack program.
Schmidt said his Greyhounds were scheduled to play in Columbus North’s Make Good Decisions/Pack the House Night Sept. 13. Schmidt said Columbus North has played in the CHS event a few times.
“My goal is to start one at Homestead (in Fort Wayne) as well,” he said.
