Leading Through Service

Like others at Fresno Pacific University, Coach Timothy Beauregard (BA ’10) leans into this principle: “If serving is beneath you, leading is beyond you.”

The quote is displayed on his office wall and woven into the fabric of his women’s basketball team culture. “We want every single person that comes into our program to understand that day one, you are expected to lead,” the head coach says. “And one of the ways that we lead most in life is that we serve.”

For years, women’s basketball has led the way in Sunbird Athletics by recording the highest number of community service hours per player. But devotion to volunteerism is fundamental to the entire community, with student-athletes typically logging well beyond 800 hours of service and engagement each year.

Last year, the number was nearly 930 hours served in partnership with 17 organizations ranging from local elementary schools to the Central California Food Bank. Fresno Pacific coaches and student-athletes view such joyful work as an integral part of their campus experience and personal development.

“We want to be out there; we want to serve,” says Lydia Manu, a guard on the basketball team and graduate student working toward a Master’s in Business Administration. “We want to give back to the community that has already been supporting our school, our team, our program.

“We want to give back to those around us just like Jesus would have,” she adds.

Across the FPU sports landscape, the belief in service to others is an aspect of recruiting— whether spoken or unspoken. Jaime Ramirez (MA ’96, BA ’81), director of soccer and formerly the coach of both men’s and women’s teams, has talked about community service with prospective student-athletes and their parents.

“Many of them come from high school or community college programs that do this,” he says. “Many of them have takenclasses that require some form of community service so it’s not unfamiliar to them.”

Still, some aspects of service can be an adjustment for younger student-athletes. Some may not see themselves as role models for children; the soccer teams frequently volunteer at schools and camps.

The change in each student-athlete is palpable as they grow into community service. “You get a different sense intheir behavior and their heart and how they address the kids,” Ramirez says. “They leave with a sense that they have somehow, somewhat been changed by that experience.”

C.J. Haydock (BA ’10), head coach of the men’s basketball team, describes his program as developmental in ways that reach far beyond the court. “We believe in the old-school model of shepherding young men into adulthood and in the athletic spectrum,” he says. “We believe in that holistically.”

So that means working on shooting, ball handling, speed and more. But it also means focusing on communication, leadership and service.

“We find gratitude in service to be the antidote to entitlement,” Haydock says. “We want the best of the best young men—not only basketball-wise, but in terms of who they are. If we get the best of the best, a fundamental part of that is making sure they are engaged and invested in the community.”

The team “tries to go wide and deep” in its community service, he says. The program creates partnerships and mentorships while giving student-athletes a robust menu of experiences.

The team has a strong bond with Every Neighborhood Partnership, a faith-based nonprofit working toward transformative change, and Cen Cal Sports, which gives children opportunities for growth through sports.

Another partnership is with Team Impact, an organization that places children with serious or life-threatening illness on college sports teams. Elementary school student Tristen Graham, who has twice battled leukemia, is currently a member of the team and was celebrated on “Tough Like Tristen Night” earlier this year.

“I would say that out of all of our community service...that’s the one that has provided the most spark, light and depth,” Haydock says. “It’s been really powerful for everybody.”

Ryas Vang, a senior guard and kinesiology major, says he didn’t completely grasp the culture of the program’s community service as a freshman. But it was easy to acclimate, he says, adding that his physical therapy career path dovetails with the concept of helping others.

“I really enjoy being part of a team and being able to serve the community,” Vang says. “Helping people builds a chain reaction of fulfillment in the world.”

In women’s basketball, recruitment efforts emphasize student-athletes who fit the culture and program: “really just people who are chasing the best version of themselves every single day,” Beauregard says.

The team motto—“Dream Chasers Only”—is “what we do every day,” he says. “For us, part of being a dream chaser is giving back.”

Team volunteerism ranges from canned food drives and elementary school sports days to pounding nails for Habitat for Humanity and working with older folks in an assisted living facility. The team’s leadership council discusses options for community service and coaches work to solidify times, dates and plans for the year.

“There is a collective buy-in to what we do and why we do it,” Beauregard says. Each student athlete finds value in the experience.

“Just understanding that being selfless and serving other people—whether that is your own family, teammates or people in your community— that is the true joy in life, to be able to help others find more joy in life,” he says.