Thanks to the women's tennis team, a local family has a new outlook on life.
In conjunction with Heading Home, an organization that provides housing and support services to over 1,500 homeless and low-income people in the greater Boston area, coach Kate Bayard's squad spent a recent Saturday afternoon moving a working single mother and her three-year-old son out of a state-subsidized hotel room and into permanent housing.
The Jumbos became the latest volunteer group to participate in Heading Home's "Up and Out" program, which has eased the transition from homelessness for over 20 families since its creation in 2005.
The team's 11 players and two coaches participated in every facet of the Feb. 27 move-in, which included cleaning the apartment, building furniture, putting up decorations and even baking cookies so that the apartment would have a pleasant smell.
"It was definitely a moving experience," senior tri-captain Laura Hoguet said. "To be able to see the mother and the three-year-old boy's reactions was one of the most rewarding things that I've been a part of.
"At the end of the day, we were all exhausted from having worked hard, but then seeing their reactions when we handed them the keys — it was just really special to see that we could help improve their lives," she continued. "There was a lot of effort put in behind the scenes, but it was definitely well worth every ounce of energy that every single teammate gave to see their reactions and have that feeling of providing them with a home."
The move-in was the culmination of a process that began in the fall, when the team was introduced to Heading Home through a friend of Bayard's. In the week prior to the move, some members of the squad team met with the mother, who had been struggling to balance a part-time job and community college, and her son to determine their needs and interests.
With the family's suggestions in mind, the Jumbos used a $500 grant from Tufts University, money raised through an alum phone-a-thon and donations collected from friends to furnish the new apartment. Among the items they either purchased or received were lamps, tables, dressers, a television, a microwave, kitchenware and bedding.
The team was especially attentive to the requests and interests of the young boy.
"I think the team's favorite part was decorating the three-year-old's room," Hoguet said. "He really likes sports, so we put a basketball hoop in his room, and when he saw it, he was so excited to use it and play with it. We also decorated the room with all sorts of sports things, like a sports comforter. The kid's room was by far the most exciting to decorate and shop for."
