Hometown Stories: Palestine football team honored with Community Service Award

Aug. 10—The Palestine Wildcats were honored with the Danny Palmer Outstanding Community Service Award Tuesday at the annual East Texas Kickoff Luncheon.

Each year an award is presented to a football program with the most outstanding display of community service. The team whose cumulative volunteer projects are determined to have had the biggest impact on their community will receive the annual award.

Please tell us about your team's This year's winner was the Palestine Wildcats.

Below is a copy of their submission.

"OUR ATHLETIC TRAINER, BETHANY COYNE LOST HER HUSBAND MICHAEL (A PALESTINE JR HIGH COACH) TO A TRAGIC CAR ACCIDENT IN LATE MAY.

BETHANY COYNE IS STILL OUR ATHLETIC TRAINER AND MOTHER TO THEIR 1-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER. COACH COYNE AND MICHAEL HAD BOUGHT THEIR DREAM HOME 2 YEARS AGO AND BETHANY IS NOW

LEFT WITH TRYING TO MAINTAIN THAT HOME. COACH BETHANY COYNE HAD MENTIONED TO ME THAT SHE HAD QUITE A FEW HOLES IN HER BACKYARD THAT NEEDED FILLING.

AT SUMMER CAMP, I MENTIONED IT TO THE TEAM AND ASKED IF A FEW COULD COME HELP. MYSELF AND ANOTHER COACH WENT AND GO T A YARD OF SAND, NOT KNOWING HOW MANY WOULD SHOW UP TO HELP.

WE HAD JUST FINISHED ANOTHER DAY OF SUMMER CAMP AND THIS WAS THE WEEK THAT TEMPATURES WERE IN THE 100'S BY 11:00 AM. I KNEW MOST OF THE COACHES WOULD BE THERE AND I HOPED THAT AT LEAST A COUPLE OF PLAYERS WOULD SHOW UP AFTER TO CAMP TO HELP.

IT WAS A GREAT FEELING TO SEE 16 OF OUR PLAYERS AND 8 OF OUR COACHES SHOWED UP TO HELP.

I KNOW THIS ISN'T MUCH COMPARED TO WHAT OTHERS DO BUT AS A COACH ONE OF THE TRAITS YOU HOPE YOUR PLAYERS LEARN THROUGH SCHOOL AND ATHLETICS IS EMPATHY AND COMPASSION FOR OTHERS.

I THINK ALL OF US AS COACHES HOPE THAT OUR ATHLETES WE COACH CARRY SOMETHING WITH THEM INTO THE REAL WORLD THAT WILL MAKE THEM GREAT MEN AND WOMEN. SEEING OUR ATHLETES UNSEFLISHLY GIVE UP THEIR TIME AND SHOW LOVE FOR OTHERS GIVES ME HOPE IN THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY. I WILL ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT BEING INVOLVED IN ATHLETICS IS ONE OF THE LAST ARENAS IN LIFE THAT TEACH BOYS TO BE GOOD MEN AND GIRLS TO BE GOOD WOMEN. THIS SIMPLE ACT OF KINDNESS BY OUR TEAM IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT."

Cindy Smoak will come and present the award to the team sometime in the next few weeks.