Feature Story and Photos by Larry H. Oskin
The South Lake County Fellowship of Christian Athletes hosted its first annual FCA 5K Race for Christmas at the Clermont Waterfront Park. South Lake County School students and the entire community were invited to participate. Over 75 people pre-registered and about 50 more registered on-site to help make it a big success.
Caleb Melendez was the very first runner to make it to the finish line in just 17 minutes and a few seconds. He is an accomplished track and cross-country runner from East Ridge High School.
Area FCA Director Tim Hancock noted, “We wanted to make this a community outreach program for our area schools and their sports teams with these students invited to participate for free for Orlando Health Awareness. We wanted to bring all of our local student-athletes together to build team unity away from their schools. Many young children, families, local dignitaries and others were invited to run the race with a small charitable registration fee donation.
South Lakes District 2 Commissioner Sean Parks and his family all raced, coming in as top finishers. Clermont Mayor Tim Murry and his wife Kassier raced as well as Head Coach Grant Mollett, of the East Ridge Cross County Girls’ team and Dale Papineau, the Head Coach of South Lake High School.
Participants were invited to walk, jog, sleigh ride or do whatever they wanted to complete the run through the beautiful Clermont Waterfront Park. Many came in ugly Christmas sweaters, Christmas lights and jingle bells. All runners received a beautiful race medal, a t-shirt and a swag bag full of gifts. There were plenty of extra free drinks, power bars and more with the New Waive Church Praise Band there for entertainment.
The team leaders, coaches and student-athletes of South Lake County of Fellowship of Christian Athletes have been very busy touching hearts and changing lives! For almost 70 years, the FCA has been supporting the challenges on the professional, college, high school, junior high and elementary school levels with advice, counsel, mentorships, teamwork and leadership.
Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a non-profit 501-C3 organization that has been awarded a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator. FCA is focused on helping to engage and inspire coaches and athletes through prayer and gospel.
They have created their own South Lake FCA Dream Team with community leaders, board members, financial partners, staff, donors and sponsors. The South Lake County area FCA staff is led by Tim Hancock as Area Director, Kahlil ‘Tuck’ Tucker as an Area Representative and Administrative Assistant Mary Berens. The 4-Cs of their ministry are: Coaches, Campus, Camps and Community. They are always looking for new coaches, students, leaders, corporate sponsors and donations to help make an impact in the lives of students and athletes.
They regularly reach out to work with 13 South Lake area schools and many area churches. Huddles are held regularly year-round to encourage and challenge athletes, coaches and campuses to live and compete using biblical principles through the platform of athletic competition. They offer a summer camp opportunity with comprehensive athletic, spiritual and leadership training. Nine local children were able to earn camp scholarships this past year. They have an annual Back to School Bash where gospel, food, music, and fellowship are shared. They hold an annual Better Man event featuring nationally known motivational speakers. Their See You at the Pole program encourages students to gather after school to pray for their fellow students and schools. Student-led Fields of Faith events are held on athletic fields each fall to pray, share testimony and challenge themselves with their peers and community.
FCA is an inspired community that works to see the world transformed in a very positive manner through shared Christianity by coaches and athletes. They work to engage, equip and empower everyone to achieve success through their ministry. FCA helps students to realize their purpose for doing what they do. The FCA staff knows that most student-athletes are often tired, stressed, and only interested in playing sports. They work to personally help support the students’ levels of handling stress and how to deal with anger and their personal issues, while also supporting parents and families. The FCA Coaches travel around and spend much-needed time at each of the South Lake schools while coaching, teaching and instructing student-athletes. This program strives to help their participating students to become better Individuals!
For More Information, contact South Lake County of Fellowship of Christian Athletes at 407-310-3146, Email THancock@FCA.org and visit: www.SouthLakeCountyFCA.org. Send mail to: PO Box 10272 in Clermont, FL 34711.
