Mike Pound: Diamond squad brings cheer to students in need

Local News

Discussion

September 2, 2010

By Mike Pound news@joplinglobe.com The Joplin Globe Thu Sep 02, 2010, 06:49 PM CDT

It was raining Wednesday afternoon, so the girls took their cheer practice indoors.

The girls, mostly in the fifth and sixth grades at Diamond, were doing what a lot of girls their age do. They were giggling, laughing and talking to one another while they waited for practice to begin.

I have a daughter about the same age as the girls on the Diamond cheer squad, so I would like to think I know a little bit about kids that age. I would like to think that I do, but, truth be told, I don’t.

But if I were to guess, I would say — to use a technical child psychologist term — that a “bunch of stuff” was running through the girls’ minds on Wednesday afternoon. And interestingly enough, one of the things running through their minds was how good it feels to help out someone who is a bit less fortunate.

Lori McLaughlin is the cheer squad sponsor. She called me last week and told me that the girls on the squad had managed to raise a few hundred dollars.

Cheer teams raise money all the time. They raise money for uniforms, they raise money for cheer camps, and they raise money for trips. But what the Diamond squad did, Lori told me, was different.

The girls didn’t raise the money for themselves. They raised the money to help out a few kids in their own school district.

I think that’s something.

Lori said the girls on the cheer squad purchased a $30 gift card from an area Wal-Mart store, and then each girl agreed to sell $1 tickets for a chance to win the gift card. When the raffle was over, she said, the girls had raised $272.

Lori said the school counselor identified a family in the district that could use a bit of help. Last Sunday, some of the girls accompanied Lori to Wal-Mart and helped pick out clothes, school supplies and other items for the three kids.

“We found out that there were two other brothers in the family, and we didn’t want them to feel left out, so my husband and I chipped in some extra money,” Lori said.

I say this a lot: There are a lot of good people in the world.

In fact, the good people in the world far outnumber the bad people. It’s just that the bad people get all the press.

There are two pretty good NFL receivers playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. One of them is named Chad Ochocinco, and the other is Terrell Owens. I’m not saying Chad and Terrell are bad people, but I am saying they tend to act like knuckleheads, and they are not the sort of guys I would want on my football team.

There also is a very good NFL receiver who used to play for the Kansas City Chiefs and now plays for the Atlanta Falcons by the name of Tony Gonzalez. Not only is Tony — by all accounts — a good person, he is the sort of guy anyone would love to have on his team and the sort of guy any city would love to have living in the community.

Guess which receivers get all the ESPN attention.

I asked the girls Wednesday why they decided to give away the money they raised. They told me they gave it away because it was the right thing to do.

“And it makes you feel good,” one of the girls said, while all of the other girls nodded their heads.

Lori told me she wanted to teach the girls more than just how to cheer at football games. She said she wanted to teach them a bit about life.

“I think they learned something,” Lori said.

For the record, the girls who learned something are: Maddie Bentz, Courtney Callis, Saydi Ogden, Anastasia Green, Esperanza Martinez, Kelsey Artherton, Paige Dresslaer, Morgan Wilson, Carmen Martinez, Kristen Stark, Alex Day and Nevaeh McLaughlin.

At the end of our chat Wednesday, the girls told me that they want to start a coat drive later this fall. Lori said if anyone out there has some advice for the girls on how to run a coat drive, or if anyone wants to donate to their efforts, they can call Diamond Elementary School at 417-325-5189.

Text Only

Local News

Some of first to rebuild describe life in tornado zone
They feel the wind now.
It howls across a stark landscape of concrete foundations, utility poles and empty streets.
Tamara Comer, who has returned to the 2300 block of Kentucky Ave., said that when the wind isn’t blowing, they’re struck by the contrast.

February 11, 2012 3 Photos 1 Video
Defense bill draws foes
The Cherokee County Commission may weigh in on the debate about the 2012 National Defense Reauthorization Act.
The measure, which passed 93-7 in the U.S. Senate and 283-136 in the U.S. House of Representatives, includes provisions that allow the U.S. military to indefinitely detain without charge or trial American citizens and legal residents suspected of terrorism.

February 11, 2012
Arts initiative launched for Pittsburg
If all goes as Steve Robb hopes, at least 24 sculptures in downtown Pittsburg could serve a dual purpose: drawing tourists, which translates to spending; and raising money to support local arts efforts.
Last week, Robb pitched his idea to the Downtown Revitalization Committee and received favorable reaction.

February 11, 2012
Manager sought for Joplin Athletic Complex
A new position has been created within the Joplin Parks and Recreation Department for a person to manage the Joplin Athletic Complex. The person hired will organize sporting events and recreational programs at the city’s sports fields as well as the complex.

February 11, 2012
Wally Kennedy: Artisan breads, pizzas come to Main Street
Years ago, the air at 18th and Main streets had the aroma of freshly baked bread thanks to Junge Bakery, home of Bunny Bread. That aroma is coming back, but to the other side of the street.

February 11, 2012
Mike Pound: New fireplace puts him in the hot seat
For a few minutes the other night our living room looked like a quaint London street, which, oddly, was not a good thing.
For a few minutes the other night our living room was covered with what appeared to be a thick layer of fog, much like the streets of London look in all those old Sherlock Holmes movie.

February 11, 2012
Winter weather back in forecast
The arctic front that passed over Missouri on Friday will bring cold temperatures to the region tonight.

February 10, 2012
Weather service upgrading radar at Springfield station
The National Weather Service radar station at Springfield will be out of service for about two weeks to permit the installation of dual-polarization technology.

February 10, 2012
MSSU, PSU to conduct financial-aid events
Missouri Southern State University in Joplin and Pittsburg (Kan.) State University each will conduct events Sunday to help high school seniors with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

February 10, 2012
Authorities term deaths of teens murder-suicide
Authorities say a teenage woman apparently shot her estranged boyfriend several times before turning the gun on herself and taking her own life.

February 10, 2012
More Local News Headlines

Some of first to rebuild describe life in tornado zone

Local News

Search Results

Discussion

Mike Pound: Diamond squad brings cheer to students in need

Eliminating the state income tax and increasing sales tax was debated during a press day on Thursday at the Missouri Capitol. Do you favor that proposal?

Site Map

Contact Us