June 21, 2018
HERSHEY, Pa. - Penn State football took Wednesday afternoon off from summer workouts and boarded buses headed to the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. A special visit that has now become an annual event, it's a day nearly every Nittany Lion looks forward to in the offseason.
"I love this visit. It's a great experience," two-time football THON dancer Charlie Shuman said. "It's one afternoon that we get to take off and come down here. It really ties into the THON experience when we get back at school. I think coming here is awesome."
Upon stepping off the buses, the Penn State energy is palpable as the team is greeted by smiling hospital staffers before splitting into small groups. While some groups spread out to visit individual families in their rooms, members of the team also passed through a high-five tunnel into the Tree House Cafe.
"This has kind of become a tradition for us," Penn State head coach James Franklin said. "We started this in year one and wasn't really sure how it was going to go and it's turned out to be a win-win. It's turned out to be a positive, I hope for the kids in the hospital and I know it's been a positive for our program."
Surrounding families and patients with smiles, the Nittany Lions spent the afternoon simply spending time and having fun.
"It's just the reactions, when you walk into a kid's room and they are huge Penn State football fan and their eyes light up," Shuman said. "You sit there talking for three minutes but you know it made their day and they had such a positive experience. That's what really makes it."
In just a short stretch of time, it's these moments that allow families facing unthinkable challenges to take a break from the fight for an uplifting smile.
"Really it's ultimately about coming here and trying to make a difference in these families that have real challenges," Franklin said. "I think sometimes we think the morning workouts or the afternoon workouts, running in the heat at 94 degrees, schoolwork, or all the other responsibilities - I think our guys spend time focused on how hard their situation is and then you come here and you say my situation is not hard. These are real challenges."
For senior Nick Scott, it's a humbling experience, one that true to Franklin's message, brings on a different type of perspective.
"We have a lot of respect for them and their fight," Scott said. "Anytime we can come to an event like this and put smiles on kid's faces, it's phenomenal. Their smiles are very uplifting. The things they fight through on a day to day basis and they are still able to smile and make us feel welcome. It's just motivating and it brings joy to all of our hearts because they do go through a lot. We just have the utmost respect and love for these kids."
Scott, who danced for 46 hours this year for the first time at THON 2018, also credits his first Penn State football visit to the Hershey Children's Hospital as the spark in his decision to participate in the world's largest student run philanthropy.
"I actually talked about these kids at Hershey hospital when I was doing interviews at THON," Scott said. "Just thinking of them, their sacrifice and persistence, it's something that keeps me going forward whether I'm running springs on the field and remembering what the kids here are going through, or standing for 46 hours without sleep. Those are minor tasks compared to what some kids see on a day to day basis."
One final group picture closed out the afternoon before the Nittany Lions hopped back on the bus to head home.
As the team headed toward the buses, a few players stopped along the way for one final group hug with 5-year-old Devin Pulaski.
"You guys are all my best friends," Pulaski said.