Gamecocks Conclude 8K In 8 Days Campaign With Richland County Sheriff's Department

July 14, 2016

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina men’s basketball team hosted the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and its family members on Wednesday night at Colonial Life Arena for the final event of the 2016 “8K In 8 Days” campaign. The campaign, which ran from July 6-13, aimed to reach 8,000 fans in the great Columbia community and the State of South Carolina with community outreach over the course of eight days.

The Gamecocks hosted the RCSD and its families on Wednesday, teaching skills and fundamentals of basketball, such as shooting and dribbling to the children, while all attendees were given the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Carolina locker room and weight room. The event concluded with a question and answer session with the Carolina student-athletes before attendees were able to get autographs from the Gamecocks.

“It was a wonderful thing to see the student-athletes of Carolina engaging with our children; teaching them the basic skills of basketball went far beyond that,” Curtis Wilson, the RCSD’s Public Information Officer and Community Liaison had to say of Wednesday’s event. “It was the personal interaction, the attention, and the caring hearts that made this special for each of them. Thank you to Coach Frank Martin, his staff, and most importantly, the players for giving of their time to our most precious future, our children.”

Columbia native PJ Dozier was honored to host the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at Colonial Life Arena.

“It’s an honor [to host the Richland County Sheriff’s Department],” Dozier said. “We’re blessed to be able to reach out to the kids around our community, and this event tonight is a great way to reach out to the Sheriff’s department as well. All of the great things that they do for us and our community, we’re honored to be able to have fun tonight with their families.”

The event with the RCSD concluded the 2016 “8K In 8 Days” campaign. The Gamecocks hosted three events at Colonial Life Arena, as the City of Columbia, the Special Olympics of South Carolina and the Sheriff’s Department all visited the venue during the campaign. Carolina student-athletes visited the Dorn VA Medical Center, visiting veterans, while also spending time at the Epworth Children’s Home, at the Brookland Lakeview Empowerment Center and sending letters to Gamecock basketball season ticket holders.

Continue to visit GamecocksOnline.com for updates on Carolina men’s basketball.