BATON ROUGE — The LSU gymnastics team visited patients at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge on Tuesday afternoon.
The team split up into smaller groups and visited about 25 patients of the pediatric unit, taking pictures with them and their families.
Additionally, the team passed out LSU removable tattoos to the patients.
“The visit was the second or third time our kids have visited the hospital this year,” said LSU head coach D-D Breaux. “This visit was particularly emotional because some of the kids our girls visited were really struggling. I’m glad our team had the opportunity to visit these children.”
“We just wanted to talk to some of the kids and tell them that they were in our prayers,” said junior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney. “It just felt good that we could give our time and go in there. I don’t think we realize how much people appreciate us visiting their kids or grandchildren.”
“We definitely touched the hearts of many people,” added Clare-Kearney.
“There was one group of us that spent about an hour with one girl and her grandma,” explained senior Kristi Esposito. “She just talked to us for the longest time because she doesn’t normally have people to talk to. It was a great experience.”
The visit was set up by the CHAMPS/Life Skills Community Outreach program. The visit is another example of why the LSU gymnastics squad earned the first annual LSU Tiger Cup Team Award this year. The award is given to the team that has the highest standings in the combined areas of athletic, academic, and community service participation.
In late February, the gymnastics team helped raise $30,950 at the first annual Etta James Memorial Meet. The money was donated to Foundation56, a foundation created by former LSU linebacker Bradie James in the hope of creating awareness of breast cancer in the Baton Rouge area.
Additionally, the team participated in the ZETA pancake breakfast, serving pancakes and coffee to those who donated money for breast cancer awareness.
LSU will travel to Duluth, Ga. on March 29 for the SEC Championships. The action will begin at 3 p.m. (CT) from the Gwinnett Center.