For some students, senior year might mean late-starting classes, easy schedules, securing a job, and maybe a coast to the finish line, but for Clark Lammert, a public relations major from San Antonio, Texas, and power forward for the Texas Tech men’s basketball team, senior year meant much more than that. Senior year was about leaving behind a legacy that reached beyond the basketball court.
Lammert said going into his last year of school, he knew the clock was ticking for him to take advantage of the opportunities given to him by Tech and athletics, so he wanted to get the ball rolling on a project that would bring smiles to some of the area hospitals’ youngest patients. That’s when he brought his “Red Raider Reach” idea to the attention of Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt and his head coach, Tubby Smith.
The program aims to consistently connect Tech athletics with the Lubbock community through service projects and events, ultimately giving student athletes a presence among the community beyond their involvement in sports.
Texas Tech softball and coaches. Photo courtesy of Texas Tech Athletics.
Although he knew the startup of his program would be hard, Lammert credits the outpour of support from all entities involved for turning his idea into a plan of action.
“I knew it was kind of a big thing for me to take on, with school and basketball, but Tech athletics has a big support staff and they helped me organize it,” Lammert said. “It was lot of communication between myself and the teams at Tech, and also the nurses and people who work at the hospital. It was a lot of work, but I established the connections I needed.”
To include every team, Lammert set up hospital visits during the teams’ off-seasons to avoid schedule conflicts and improve the number of athletes who could attend, with two teams attending area hospitals every month.
The baseball team was the first team scheduled to visit Covenant Children’s Hospital, with nearly 20 student athletes and the head coach, Tim Tadlock, in attendance.
The athletes split off into small groups and visited with the children, bringing them gifts like autographed baseballs. They also took photos with the children and their family, and talked with them about a variety of topics.
Women’s basketball pose with a young fan during their visit. Photo courtesy of Tech Athletics.
In a press release from the Tech Athletics Department, Ryan Moseley, a sophomore right-handed pitcher and Lubbock native, said he enjoyed his first experience with the program, and believes the program not only benefits the children, but also the athletes.
“To see these kids and the way they fight — helps you out in everyday life,” Moseley said. “They could be having a bad day, but when we come in, their faces light up. It means a lot for us to come out here and give back to them. That’s what we need to be doing and it feels really rewarding.”
Lammert said the children, who are suffering from a wide range of illnesses, look forward to the team visits, and each visit gives them a sense of energy and hope, which he thinks is pivotal in their treatment.
A monument goal of Lammert’s program is to improve the amount of community service hours Tech athletics accrues yearly. Lammert’s goal is to reach 2,000 service hours, a nearly 500-hour increase from last year.
Tubby Smith said he wasn’t shocked when Lammert came to him with the idea of starting an outreach program, knowing the kind of teammate and person he is, and Smith has no doubts that the program will be successful even after Lammert graduates.
Lady Raiders pose with hospital staff during their visit. Photo Courtesy of Tech Athletics.
“I’m very proud of him. Clark has great leadership skills. He’s a very thoughtful and caring person,” Smith said. “His sense of service is what we try to encourage all of our athletes to do. I’m very fortunate to be coaching someone of his character. I’m also glad to see we have the kind of student athletes that want to give back to the community.”
As for his friends and family’s reaction,, Lammert said they were nothing but proud of him.
“They were proud of me and they were happy I did something like this,” he said. “They know this is who I am. I’m just always trying to help people.”
About Sarah Schmidt
