 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
BATON ROUGE — Members of the LSU men’s basketball team helped honor Baton Rouge area firefighters and EMS personnel in a special event held for the second consecutive year at the Trinity Lutheran Church on Florida Blvd. Tuesday night.
The Rev. Scott Schmieding, senior pastor at Trinity Lutheran, welcomed several hundred Baton Rouge firefighters and their family members to an evening of song and fellowship as the members of the basketball team served the food to the honored guests from an outstanding menu which included boiled shrimp, potato salad, red beans and rice, gumbo and desserts of every shape and size.
LSU’s Dr. Roger Grooters, Executive Director of the Cox Communications Center for Student-Athletes, welcomed everyone on behalf of the University and then brought up Associated Head Coach Butch Pierre who introduced the 2003-04 Tigers to the crowd. Pierre took time to thank the firefighters for all their hard work and efforts, pointing out his first hand experience from a fire at his home a few years ago while he was on the road recruiting and the quick efforts of the firemen who saved his home.
Pierre introduced the members of the freshman class and then the returnees took the microphone individually to introduce themselves and thank the firefighters and talk about the team.
Following that, the Lagniappe Quarter of The Sweet Adelines International of Baton Rouge and the Baton Rouge Lutheran School seventh and eighth graders performed patriotic songs and both fire and local elected officials spoke briefly to the crowd. In the closing moments of the evening there was a special presentation of Psalm 91:1 framed prints to all 31 area Fire Stations donated by Charles and Cele Carpenter and Shelly Hollins.
The appearance of the men’s basketball team was in conjunction with the LSU CHAMPS Life Skills program under the direction of Mike Mallet.