Brittany Carter is devoted to her basketball career, but the Ball State freshman guard may be even more devoted to her charity work off the court.
Rainbows For Kids, an organization founded in 1999 by Sally Rains after her niece was diagnosed with cancer, entertains kids and families with cancer supports, cancer-related charities and research projects in hopes for cure and helps plan activities that all kids can participate in.
Carter's mother, Michelle, who attended Linbergh High School in St. Louis, Mo., with Rains, heard about the organization and was eager to get involved right away. Soon after and with the encouragement from her family, Carter, for the first time, took part in what she calls one of the greatest accomplishments she's ever been involved in.
"I wasn't too aware of the organization or what was going on and there was just one event where my mom just said, ‘you know, they need a lot of help. Can you please help out?'" Carter said. "I went to that one event and saw how hard they worked and put things together and I wanted to continue on with that. I [said], ‘Mom, anytime they're doing an event, please let me know. I want to help.'"
With the help of her family, Carter set up and coordinated a volleyball tournament for the charity at her high school. It was then when Rains, the volunteer Executive Director of Rainbows for Kids, recognized Carter's passion and commitment to aiding kids with cancer.
"The Carters got on board at the beginning and though she was a little girl, I could see Brittany had a heart for the kids," Rains said. "Brittany has used her gift of sports to help these children.
"Children who have cancer or other serious diseases don't get the chance to run and play like the other kids because they are often tired from their medicine or they are weak, possibly even in a wheel chair."
While helping plan a variety of events, such as holding open gyms for kids and families to play volleyball or basketball, there was one special moment at a local bowling alley that touched Carter's heart.
"We put up balloons everywhere, had welcome signs, name tags, set out plates for food, everything set out for [everyone]," Carter said. "Once they get there, it's interacting with them, making sure they're having a good time."
Despite being one of Ball State's top offensive players this season, Carter said the feeling she gets through her charity work is worth more than anything she could ever do on the court.
"It's like butterflies," Carter said. "I would even compare it to winning an award or a championship game. That feeling of excitement when you know you have impacted the people around you in a positive way. It's really breathtaking to reflect on the emotion afterwards, and even the most simple thing can change [the life] of those children."
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