DENVER — Before the Denver South High School Ravens begin another football season, they spend a day focused on something bigger than wins and losses.
For the past decade, the program has partnered with the nonprofit A Little Help for its annual community service project, sending players into neighborhoods across Denver to assist older adults with yard work and outdoor projects.
"This is our yearly community service project that we do with A Little Help," South High head football coach Ryan Marini said. "We've been working with A Little Help for 10 years now. It's a really cool opportunity for a group of high school boys to go find a senior adult who needs a bit of help with their yard work."
One of the homeowners the Ravens have returned to year after year is Judy Dunlop.
Dunlop first connected with A Little Help after suffering a hiking accident that left her unable to care for her property.
"I found out about them when I had a hiking mishap, and I was on my back for five weeks," Dunlop said. "Sometimes it's hard to ask for help. I started looking around to see what was available, and A Little Help gave me more than a little help."
While she still maintains her vegetable and pollinator gardens, larger outdoor projects have become more difficult.
"There are just some things that I can't do anymore," Dunlop said. "They come in here with all this enthusiasm and muscle power, ready to work."
Players spent the day pulling weeds, spreading mulch and cleaning up her yard. For Dunlop, the experience is about more than the work itself.
"I believe they're doing valuable service," she said. "I've gotten little gift bags that just say, 'Have a great day.' You don't always have someone telling you that each day. It's such a gift."
Marini hopes those lessons extend well beyond football.
"I would love for my kids to all play college football, but that's just not realistic," he said. "What's far more important is that we send these guys out into whatever they do with the right attitude and the right mindset, because football is going to end for them. The lessons they take from this and the other parts of the program help them in life, not just help them win football games."
As the Ravens prepare for a new season, the program's annual day of service continues to reinforce that being a successful teammate starts long before kickoff.
