Golden Eagle Family Program Takes Flight

There’s no place like home and The Laramie County Community College Foundation (LCCC) and AARP Wyoming are teaming up in October to make Cheyenne feel a little more like home for members of the LCCC women’s basketball team.

The Golden Eagle Family Program seeks to find volunteers in the Laramie County area interested in making a connection with one of the 12 members of the LCCC Women’s Basketball Team in hopes of offering the athletes support in their new community of Cheyenne.

“The girls on our team come from as far away as Texas and Las Vegas, with just one from Wyoming,” says LCCC Women’s Basketball Coach Brian Ortmeier. “This is an opportunity for our student-athletes to expand their social support system.”

Volunteers to the Golden Eagle Family Program  are asked to join the athletes for an occasional meal, drop off a care package, or attend a game played by the team. Volunteers are asked not to provide any financial or housing support for the players. The mission of The Golden Eagle Family Program, which is patterned after the school’s Rodeo Team Host Family program, is to encourage social interaction between community members and its athletic p

rogram.

LCCC Foundation Representatives are asking volunteers interested in participating in the Golden Eagle Family Program to contact Melissa Dishman in the LCCC Foundation office before Oct. 29 at:  307-778-1372 or MDishman@lccc.wy.edu. The school will help volunteers match with a member of the LCCC Women’s Basketball team on October 29 at an event on-campus, starting at 5:30 p.m.

AARP Wyoming is encouraging its members in Southeast Wyoming to consider this opportunity. AARP has a long history of working to battle social isolation for all citizens age 50 and over. Social isolation occurs when people withdraw and become disconnected from family, friends and community. A study by professors Julianne Holt-Lunstad and Timothy Smith of Brigham Young University found that prolonged social isolation is as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and is more harmful than obesity.

“LCCC is an important part of our community and our members can act as tremendous ambassadors in the community,” said AARP Wyoming State Director Sam Shumway. “Connecting our members to LCCC student-athletes is a win for all involved.”