April 6, 2006

University of South Carolina student athletes, cheerleaders and the mascot, “Cocky,” visited Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital Tuesday, April 4 for the third annual Wesley Brown Day. A star athlete who graduated from Spring Valley High School in 1997 and USC in 2001, Wesley Brown was diagnosed with leukemia in June 2002. In his memory, his family wanted to create an annual event for the children at Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. The visit from USC student-athletes included autograph sessions, room visits and photos.

Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital was the first children’s hospital in South Carolina. Children’s Hospital has more than 30 pediatric subspecialties including pulmonology, cardiology, surgery, oncology, radiology, neonatology, anesthesiology, endocrinology and others. A major pediatric referral center for children from all 46 counties in South Carolina, Children’s Hospital treats more than 82,000 children each year. For more information, visit www.palmettohealth.com.

Every year, student-athletes from different athletic teams coordinate team projects by taking responsibility to serve as goodwill ambassadors not only for their respective programs, but also for the Athletics Department and the University of South Carolina as a whole. In addition, a number of student athletes elect to perform individual community service hours in a variety of areas. The University of South Carolina Athletics Department is committed to providing volunteer opportunities for student athletes to connect with people in the surrounding community. The greater Columbia community is invited to utilize members of Team Gamecocks to serve as role models and willing volunteers. For more information on Team Gamecocks, please visit their website at uscsports.com or call (803) 777-9913.