By: Scott Wallace

This week, Nashville families received a visit from some special elves. Members of the Tennessee State University football and basketball teams came together to offer some Holiday cheer in helping the Nashville General Hospital Secret Santa Project in a two-day volunteer effort that was a positive experience for the players.

"The easiest way to affect positive change is to wake up every day with a heart of service," said football defensive coordinator Brandon Fisher. "No task is too big. No task is too small. It takes humility and integrity, and it's amazing how contagious it can be in a community when you have a bunch of people pulling in the same direction."

Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church's Pastor Enoch Fuzz and other churches in the community identified 71 children for the hospital to adopt. On the first day, the men's basketball team and the coaching staff met at the hospital's project to put together tote bags of groceries for the families. Nashville product Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. enjoyed serving the community that has supported him all his life. Putting together the boxes for him brought team camaraderie, which was a humbling experience.

It was a good experience for us to come out and give to the community," said Fitzgerald. "It felt good to do something for people other than ourselves, and we also got to spend time with each other, so this was a great experience."

Two days later, football student-athletes; Tony Amerson, Michael Crawford, Jaalon Gupton, James Reese IV, Boogie Trotter, and Josh Trueheart went to Corinthian Baptist Church in North Nashville to distribute the gifts along with Santa Claus. Trueheart, who prepped locally at Stratford High School, enjoyed the reaction the players received from the families.

"I feel like it's good to serve in the community because giving back to others makes you feel so good," said Trueheart. "The smiles on other people's faces can brighten anyone's day no matter the conditions you're going through."

Each adopted child received a gift bag valued between $300-$500, and their families received totes of food. The basketball team also helped stock the hospital's food pharmacy. According to Kate Haygood of the Nashville General Hospital Foundation, the food distributed is nutrient dense and low in sodium and salt. She feels that food is medicine, so giving the best food possible for the patient's disease state is essential. Haygood didn't expect so many members of TSU Athletics to come. She was pleased with the turnout.

"I was really surprised to see all those guys," said Haygood. "We are always grateful for people that want to step out and do for others. This was a definite plus, and the guys were wonderful."

The event was the first time that TSU Athletics participated in this project.