Duke Blue Planet BLOG » Jamie Spatola

An Apple a Day at the Emily K, Center

Jamie Spatola — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:22:08 +0000

On Monday mornings a delivery truck turns off of W. Chapel Hill Street and into the Emily K Center parking lot. The driver unloads his cargo: a case of Fuji apples, another of Golden Delicious, one of NC Gala apples, and another of Red Washington Delicious. But he’s not done, he returns to his truck for the rest: 40 pounds of bananas, a case of pears, and another of oranges. The EKC office manager, Michele, sees the process through, watching as each item from the order she placed on Friday comes through the door.

Come Monday afternoon, as the students enter the Center for their focused daily work with their tutors, the fruit begins to disappear from the many baskets placed around the Center and apple cores and banana peels line the trash cans.

At dismissal time, parents and siblings come in to pick up their youngsters and the Emily K Center lobbies are filled with literally hundreds of people. For Emily K CEO Marleah Rogers and her staff, this is the best part of the day: seeing the children excitedly report their achievements to their parents, watching as lead tutors pass along information to the parents of children they have come to know so well, and hearing the laughter and joy that fills the room. Each family member takes a piece of fruit. It is not unusual for students to shyly ask if they can take an extra piece home for a younger sibling, a grandmother, or a friend.

Research supports that healthy children, who have essential food groups in their diet, are better equipped to learn. But, even though the parents of Emily K Center students often have multiple jobs, families of four often have a combined income of less than $20,000. Fruit is important to a balanced and healthy diet, but it is also expensive. On such a tight budget, providing nutritious meals and snacks can be a challenge. The families of Emily K Center students are eager to take advantage of the fruit provided at the EKC and are extremely appreciative.

Marleah will always remember one story in particular, “Our parents are so committed to the success of their kids that they make many sacrifices,” she says, ”As we expanded the number of students in our Pioneer Scholars program I saw a new mom devouring an apple core. When I asked why she was eating the core, she replied that she thought the fruit was only for the children. When I told her that we encouraged everyone to take a piece of fruit, she began to cry and said, you mean I can have a piece of fruit too?”

It was always a part of the Emily K Center philosophy to provide the students with a healthy after-school snack while they work on their studies. But, since the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year, that fruit has been delivered free of charge, saving the Center hundreds of dollars a week while insuring that the after-school experience provided is complete.

Because the Emily K Center is a home away from home for some great kids, the students and their families always say, “thank you” to whatever member of the EKC staff or volunteer is nearby as they reach for their fruit. But the students do not know who really deserves the thanks. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. But I’ll tell you who it is: it’s Steve Serck.

Steve is a member of the extended Duke Basketball family, a great friend, and a four-year veteran of K Academy. In his “real life,” he lives in Chicago and runs Jack Keller Company, distributing fruits and vegetables throughout the Midwest and now, because of Steve’s generosity and connections in the produce business, Jack Keller indirectly delivers to 904 W. Chapel Hill Street in Durham via Foster Caviness out of Greensboro, NC.

Steve’s commitment to the Emily K Center is the perfect example of how supporters of the EKC can find unique ways of giving, employing unconventional methods that match their expertise or field of work with the real needs of the students and families who make the Emily K Center part of their everyday routines. When asked about Steve Serck’s contributions, Marleah Rogers says, “Steve’s generosity helps our kids brains be ready to learn, and it has taught our kids and their families to love fruit and make it a healthy lifestyle habit. Our kids and their families know there is a special donor who makes this investment in them and who is part of the larger team that believes in them. They want you to know, Steve, that they deeply appreciate your kindness and that you are making a difference in the health and well being of their family every day.” Steve Serck and the numerous other contributors to the Emily K’s success have found ways to be equally as creative as they have been committed in their giving.

When asked about her after school snack, seventh-grader Litesha responds matter-of-factly, “I like the Golden Delicious apples the best. I have one when I come here from school. My mom and I get a banana when she picks me up from Pioneer Scholars.” Like the top-notch tutoring and character development they receive through the programming at the Emily K, the healthy snack has become a part of their routine. Of course, the Center seeks to provide its students opportunities to try new things, to feel as if someone believes in them, and to receive the individual attention they need and deserve. So much of it is about dreaming and dreaming big. But it is also about developing habits for a healthy and long life, giving them not only the means, but also the time to see those dreams through.

By Friday morning, after many grateful takers and the fruit baskets near empty, it is time for Michele to place another order.

STAY CONNECTED WITH THE EMILY K
You can stay up-to-date with the latest Emily K Center news as well as submit your own comments and questions at the EKC’s new blog site atwww.emilykblog.org. Read about events taking place at the Center, take in words from the students themselves, and connect with other members of the Dream, Do, Achieve team. Currently you can read Ryan Schwartz’s (Chair of the EKC’s Volunteer Leadership Council) description of the first Social Entrepreneurship Symposium held at the EKC or enjoy 6th grade Pioneer Scholar Dashaun’s poem about what “team” really means. We encourage you to subscribe to the RSS feed or bookmark the page so that our “6th Man” can always stay connected.

2008

Jamie Spatola — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:20:22 +0000

It is natural that, with the dawning of a new year, we look reflectively back on the one that just was. On television they air shows about the greatest movies of 2008, news channels review the major stories of the year, and radios stations feature countdowns of the year’s top songs. We laugh looking back at the good memories, cry for who and what was lost, and optimistically say that 2009 will hold many more laughs and far fewer tears.

For me, reflecting on 2008 is a most enjoyable and satisfying activity. 2008 was the year in which my family had the tremendous opportunity to travel to the other side of the world, to witness an extraordinary Olympics impressively hosted by an up-and-coming world power. My little nieces and nephews got to take child-sized footsteps on the greatest of walls somehow erected over 2000 years ago. My sisters got hugs from Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. My husband, Chris – Duke’s current Director of Basketball Operations and an aspiring coach himself – got to participate on a practice “scout” team that helped prepare the elite basketball players of the NBA for Olympic competition. And 2008 is the year that three daughters along with their proud mom got to see their father’s dream come true.

There are so many stories from our trip to Beijing – some inspirational ones about the way that twelve NBA superstars sacrificed their individual egos in favor of a collective one, some harrowing ones about how a family of twelve, including five children eight-years-old and under, made their way both to and around China. When I think about 2008 all of these stories will come to mind. I will remember the look on my dad’s face as all of his players placed their gold medals around his neck. I will remember riding in a cable car up to the Great Wall with Chris, my sister Lindy, her husband Steve, and their two-year-old son, Quin. I will remember our family feeling adventurous enough to dine at an authentic Chinese restaurant and the way our interpreter helped my rarely-confused father painstakingly navigate the menu. I will remember sitting in the Bird’s Nest stadium and watching the USA men’s and women’s 4×400 relay teams come out victorious, making their victory laps around the stadium with American flags draped across their backs. I will remember the heart-wrenching emotion my sisters and I felt as the gold medal basketball game, and seemingly our father’s career, hung in the balance. I will remember that, when the players stood on the medal stand and the Star-Spangled Banner played, Chris Bosh sang and Dwyane Wade cried. Too many amazing memories, each one too precious to forget.

But there is another memory from 2008 that stands out as equally precious: the trip that I had the chance to take to West Point with my father and husband in September, shortly after returning from Beijing. It had been six years since either Chris or I had made the trip over the mountain and through Stony Lonesome gate onto West Point. The brisk but beautifully sunny weather brought back a flood of memories for both of us. The last time we were there, Chris’s family and I were celebrating his graduation from the Academy. And now, I had the opportunity to return with my two favorite guys, both West Point graduates and former Army Basketball team captains, and see the roots of their personal beginnings as well as so much of our country’s history. Anytime you are there as a non-graduate, you have the tendency to feel small. But, I held my head high walking with my two escorts – proud and confident by association. I got to hear them tell each other stories and compare the West Point of the “old grads” like my dad with the reportedly more lenient West Point of more recent graduates like Chris. Of course, if you hear Chris tell it, the academic rigors nowadays are much more daunting than those of 1960’s West Point. The debate went on and on, much to my delight.

We quickly got settled into our rooms at the historic Thayer Hotel, built in 1926 and named for Sylvanus Thayer, known as “The Father of West Point.” After getting changed for the evening, we headed to a dinner where we were joined by a group of first class (senior year) cadet leaders. They were all eager to show my dad their West Point rings just distributed the previous week during the Academy’s traditional Ring Weekend festivities. Several future graduates of 2009 gathered in a circle around the 1969 grad and the show and tell began. The cadets proudly showed my dad their new rings and my dad told them that, even after 40 years, he still always wears his old one. Many years after graduation and into his career at Duke, my mom had his original stone replaced with a deep, unmistakably Duke-blue one – the same stone that is placed in the class rings of Duke graduates. The symbolism could not be more perfect. Just as the USMA ring supports that Duke-blue stone, West Point has proven to be the foundation for everything that he has done in career, including his nearly thirty years at Duke and, of course, his three years as USA Basketball’s National Coach.

Standing off to the side with Chris, I felt proud that I wear a West Point ring too, a miniature of the one Chris received when he escorted me to his Ring Weekend six years earlier. I quietly marveled at the commitment of the young men and women who, at 18-years-old, made the decision to attend the Academy and committed themselves to at least five years of service in the United States Army. Not only that, these cadets made that commitment knowing full-well that they would likely serve those years during a time of war and that they would certainly be expected to deploy overseas to fight for their country. I hadn’t earned my ring, but I felt so good knowing that both my father and husband had.

After our dinner, we headed to Eisenhower Hall where my dad would deliver a speech to an auditorium full of cadets dressed in their white over gray uniforms. Though the room was crowded, the presentation took on the feel of an intimate team meeting, not altogether different from the team meetings I had the privilege of sitting in on in Beijing. And it was that 2008 Olympic basketball team that served as the subject matter for the presentation. My dad spoke about patriotism and selfless service, acknowledging, of course, that he was preaching to the choir. But I believe that it was interesting and informative for the cadets – whose lives and careers will be built upon a foundation of these two words – to learn that it was this mindset that my dad, Jerry Colangelo, Mike D’Antoni, Nate McMillan, and Jim Boeheim tried to instill in the team of NBA superstars that would represent our country on the basketball court in the 2008 Olympics. The soldiers, he emphasized, are the ultimate examples of patriotism and selfless service. No one can match their commitment. But how neat is it that Kobe, LeBron, and the gang looked to our military as the ultimate example? The soldiers were their teachers.

Each point that my dad made about how the National Basketball Team came together was illustrated by a video shown on the large screen behind him. These were videos made expressly for the Olympic team and were shown to the likes of Jason Kidd and Carmelo Anthony in the privacy of the team’s Beijing Intercontinental Hotel meeting room. It was as if he was inviting the cadets to join him in that room. And it appeared that they gladly accepted the invitation.

The next day was action-packed as well – breakfast with the Army Athletic Department, lunch with students from the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department, and a tour of the Academy’s phenomenal new library. Both my father and husband lamented the academic success they might have achieved had they had the privilege of utilizing such a fine library. But I had my doubts; both Dad and Chris were more impressed by the amazing view from the terrace than any of the books.

We also had the chance to visit Arvin Gymnasium where a wall exists honoring the recipients of the Mike Krzyzewski Teaching Character Through Sport Award given annually to a West Point cadet and a member of the faculty/staff who “has demonstrated outstanding work in creating an athletic environment that promotes and models the true spirit of competition through respect, integrity, responsibility, servant leadership, and sportsmanship” and is, “An individual of personal integrity who exemplifies devoted service to the development of ‘leaders of character’ through athletic competition.”

Afterward, as we headed back to the Thayer for a little down time and to get changed for the formal evening ahead, my dad asked the bus driver if we could make one more quick stop. Guiding the driver up a back road to the Cadet Catholic chapel, my dad reflected on June 4, 1969 – a big day in his life. Actually, the big day: his graduation from West Point and his wedding. The three of us stepped in the small but beautiful chapel and I pictured my mom walking down the aisle. When we stepped back outside, we briefly took in another one of West Point’s tremendous Hudson River views. It was a great moment and I asked Chris if he would take a picture of me and my dad right outside the church where my parents were married nearly 40 years ago.

The evening that followed was an opportunity any basketball fan would relish. We had the privilege of seeing my dad’s coach, Bob Knight, given the honor of induction into the Army Sports Hall of Fame along with nine other deserving individuals. At the banquet following the induction, my dad introduced his mentor and friend and Coach Knight spoke on behalf of the 2008 induction class. The speech was, of course, most enjoyable and the event gave all three of us the chance to see the new Hall of Fame facility, one of the many impressive improvements made on post in the six years since our last visit. And I have to mention how neat it was for me personally to see Chris’s name on an Army Basketball timeline positioned just above a large photo of my dad.

Ok, I know, I have – quite literally – been all over the map with this article. And, yes, perhaps I have been more personal and familiar than usual. But I do have a point. And it is this: for the rest of my life, I will always remember 2008. And when I look back on that wonderful year, I will think about our September trip to West Point just as much as our phenomenal August in Beijing. The truth is, in my mind, those two trips are inextricably linked. In Beijing, I saw my dad’s dream come true. But, on the trip to the Academy, I saw how that dream became even a possibility. I could see so clearly the connection between my dad’s Olympic experience and the values and work ethic instilled in him at West Point. I felt thankful that my grandparents had the foresight to aggressively encourage their 18-year-old son to take advantage of the opportunity he had to attend what my dad now calls, “the best school for leadership in the United States.”

It is a great feeling to think about the fact that the two most important men in my life both came from this place and, admittedly, I wondered if, 35 years from now, Chris and I would bring our children there to show them where their father learned to be a leader. It was one of those moments that so obviously linked the past to the present in my mind and made me wonder, with overwhelming gratitude, how I ever got to be so lucky.

Celebrating Team

Jamie Spatola — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:18:02 +0000

This year’s theme for the Emily K Center student projects and activities is most appropriate: “Team.” It was the focus of the Emily Kronicle literary magazine and the theme of the holiday gathering hosted at the Center for students and their families on a Friday evening in early December.

In the world of Duke Basketball, “team” is always an important word but, for some reason, this year it feels even more special. Perhaps it is because Team USA came home from Beijing in August with gold medals and showed the world that even the best athletes in the world are made better when they willingly subscribe to all that it means to be a part of something bigger than them.

As I read through the stories, poems, and dialogues that the students had written about teams for the Kronicle, I was impressed by the understanding that they seemed to already possess about what a team is and how effectively they were able to convey that understanding through their words. One thing I was most impressed with was how many students referred to their family as a team. Indeed, for Duke Basketball, the words “family” and “team” have always been interchangeable. Even at this early stage in their lives, the students at the Emily K Center already seem to comprehend this notion. Third grader Teymi wrote at the end of her story about a family beach trip, “My team is my family and we care for each other.” Similarly, a sixth grader named Deshaun wrote in his poem about team, “My most important team is my family. We work together everyday. Everyone has an important role on the team. We achieve everything together. And alone we can do so little but together we can do so much.”

In addition to making the mature observation that a family is the most important kind of team, Deshaun had some very insightful things to say about what being on a team is really about, “A team is group of people that work together. A team is where everyone gets a chance. A team is where you lose and achieve together.” Deshaun already grasps the concept of the collective responsibility that comes with being on a team a term that Coach K has always defined with the phrase, “We win and we lose together.” Both of these young students were asked to read their compositions as a room full of hundreds of their peers and family members listened. They were poised and confident both in their words and the way in which they delivered them.

I have been thinking a lot about the many different kinds of teams that exist. The ones we are all on, the ones we work for every day, and the ones whose missions we support from afar. Of course, the USA Olympic Basketball team has been on my mind since our return from China in August. Their task was an extremely important one for the future of basketball in the United States. Their work in achieving their goal is to be lauded, the Olympic gold medal being the most prestigious honor in the world of sport. But what Team USA accomplished is not more important than what the Emily K Center team works towards every day. Maybe there is a future LeBron James or Kobe Bryant among the Pioneer Scholars. That would be wonderful. But I hope there are also future teachers, and doctors, and dancers, and writers. I hope that the students at the Emily K continue to dream big and to dream different and I know that they will feel the strength of support of the Emily K Center team behind them all the way.

Become a Part of The Team
This holiday season, Coach and Mickie Krzyzewski’s gift to their family will be the gift of giving to the Emily K Center. This is the perfect time to join the team by participating in the newly established Dream-Do-Achieve Gift Club. A gift at any level will be recognized with a unique Emily K Thank You card and each successive gift level will be recognized with a special gift from Coach K and the Emily K Center.

Contribution	What Your Donation Can Accomplish	Recognition Gift
$100	Purchase books and supplies for the Pioneer Scholars	-EKC Thank You Card
$250	Sending a student to a skill- building summer camp	-EKC Thank You card -Signed Coach K photo
$1,000	Funding a student’s participation in a 5-week Summer Scholars program	-EKC Thank You Card -Signed Coach K Basketball
$6,000	Partially funding the Emily K’s student recognition ceremony	-EKC Thank You Card -Signed Coach K Photo -Signed Coach K Basketball
$10,000+	Fully funding a student in the Emily K Center K To College programming	-EKC Thank You Card -Signed Coach K USA Basketball jersey

Donations can be mailed to the Emily K Center at 903 West Chapel Hill Street Durham, NC 27701 or can be made online at www.emilyk.org. The Emily Krzyzewski Center is a 501 (c)(3) organization and your gift is fully tax deductible.

Being There Matters

Jamie Spatola — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:16:43 +0000

When you walk through the front door of the Emily Krzyzewski Center, the very first thing you see is a photograph of Coach K with his mother: the woman whose lessons serve as the inspiration for the Center and whose name it bears. Anyone who knows Coach K or has heard him speak has heard him talk about his mom, how she was “the best person in his life” and how her simple lessons laid the foundation for everything that he has stood for throughout his life and career. But Emily K’s lessons are not only important to Coach K; they have served as an example of the kind of involvement the Emily K Center staff seeks from the parents and families of the Center’s Pioneer Scholars. Through the programs offered at the Emily K and consistent personal interaction with Emily K staff, parents of Center scholars are laying the foundations for their own children to pursue dreams.

When one looks at the success that the Emily K Center has achieved thus far, there is no doubt that this is the result of some outstanding educational programs and the hard, daily work of a gifted staff and committed tutors. But this work directly with the young scholars is not the only reason for success. The Emily K Center staff does not simply admit an individual student into the Pioneer Scholars program, they admit that student and a family dedicated to his or her success. From the beginning, the staff at the Center partners with the child’s support system at home in a mutual commitment to that child’s educational and character development. New families to the Center go through a Family Orientation as well as a Parent/Student conference with Center staff members. The sign-out process at the end of an Emily K Center weekday also encourages regular interaction and updates from the Center to home and vice versa; a parent must sign their child out directly with his or her lead tutor each afternoon.

There are also opportunities for the parents to learn more about how to navigate the school system and advocate for their children with optional parent empowerment workshops. Over two years, 50 percent of the Emily K Center families have participated in six-week Parent and Family Advocacy Support Training (PFAST) workshops dedicated to such goals as improving contact with the child’s school, understanding the school system and its structure, and learning what other community resources are available. Parents want to learn; they want to be the best advocates for their kids that they can. The Emily K Center is committed to creating opportunities for parents to be more effectively involved.

The mutual commitment of the student, parent, and Emily K Center staff is reaffirmed yearly at the fall Student-Tutor-Parent conferences that take place after the student receives their first report card. At these meetings, students, parents and tutors work together to develop and put in writing the child’s academic and character development goals for the year. The form makes clear that these goals are not up to the child alone and that the parent and tutor must do their part as well. When all three put their signatures at the bottom of the page, they have made a pact to hold one another accountable.

The Center finds time to develop social ties among families as well at such events as the Dream-Do-Achieve Team Celebration Dinner in December and the Recognition Ceremony in May. Most recently, the staff has deemed the last Friday of every month, “Family Night,” opening the gym to the Pioneer Scholars and their families. Each month, about half of the families show up to enjoy the time with their children.

One parent that takes advantage of every opportunity to participate and learn is Ana. Ana and her husband have four of their own children and have taken over parenting responsibilities for their nephew, Angel, as well. Ana’s oldest son, Jonathan, and Angel have both been in the Pioneer Scholars program for two years. Ana is one of those parents that just always seems to be there. She has participated in all of the programs offered to parents at the Emily K Center and she even volunteered herself as a translator for Center events. It is difficult to see how Ana makes time for this because her co-workers insist that she is always at work. But Ana is a parent who has the time because she makes the time. It seems a simplistic concept: being there. But it is a difficult reality to ensure when you are also working a full-time job in support of your family. Ana is quick to point out the vital role that her husband plays, as well. “He works a lot and so he cannot always be there himself,” she says, “but he supports the children by supporting me.”

Ana and her husband are the type of parents with whom the staff at the Center loves to work and they have been thrilled to come in contact with Ana and many others like her. “Ana is representative, in many ways, of the Pioneer Scholars parents as a whole,” says Educational Director Adam Eigenrauch. “She made a commitment to support her children at a high level and has followed through on that. She works hard to support them both in and out of school, and she cares dearly about their success and development.”

When asked what she believes is the best advice she could give another parent, she responded emphatically and without hesitation, “Oh, just love your children. Be there. Always support them.” Some of Coach K’s favorite memories of his mother are the times when he would come home late after one of his high school games and his mom would be waiting up for him. She would ask him how his game was, how he was. For him, it was never the words that were important but the simple fact that she was there and that time was for him. Today, he draws great parallels between being unafraid to fail and being successful. “Anything I felt good about, my mom and dad felt better about. Everything that I did was supported. I think this type of sustenance had a lot to do with my being confident as an adult. For some reason, I’m not afraid to lose. I wasn’t back then, and I’m not now,” Coach K says. It was his mother’s consistent support in his youth that allowed for this kind of confidence. What a bright future is ahead of Jonathan, Angel, and the rest of the kids at the Emily K whose familial support will allow for them to dream, do, and achieve without ever having to be afraid.

Uncommon Giving

Jamie Spatola — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:15:43 +0000

There are many ways one can give. For the Emily K Center, it is these gifts that make their daily efforts possible. There are the always-appreciated and necessary financial gifts. There is also the support from companies like Cisco, McKinney, and RTI International that have provided their pro bono expertise. Then, there are the numerous volunteers who give of their time to teach and interact with the students at the Center on a daily basis. All of these individuals and organizations are essential to the Emily K — their generosity and efforts are exemplary and, frankly, essential. Anytime an individual sacrifices for the good of another, we can consider it an act of charitable giving. But rarely is charity so physically exhausting.

Leave it to a truly uncommon man to come up with a most uncommon way of giving. In the span of his career, Jesse Itzler has found success in an incredible range of endeavors from founding a highly successful private jet business to a career as a rapper and songwriter. Itzler is who we all are in our wildest (and happiest) dreams: someone who has just as many crazy ideas as the rest of us but who, unlike most, follows through on them.

In 2006 Itzler had one of his craziest ideas to date — to attempt to run 100 miles in 24 hours. Somewhere in a brain that is just as full of goodness and charity as it is of crazy ideas, he decided he would raise one million dollars as the “100 Mile Man” and would donate $100,000 each to ten charities. As a three-year veteran of Duke’s K Academy, Itzler came to know about the Emily Krzyzewski Center and its mission. In selecting his charities, Itzler wanted to find organizations that had a “direct and measurable impact on people.” In other words, he wanted to see results.

While working toward personal results through his rigorous training schedule leading up to the race, Itzler was reminded of the impact his uncommon efforts would have on a group of outstanding kids in Durham. The kids sent Jesse letters and emails as a source of motivation for his run. They even sent along some Emily K Center water bottles and photos with inspirational quotes related to the six Emily K pillar words of Heart, High Expectations, Hard Work, Honesty, Integrity and Respect. The motivation was mutual. Jesse’s 100-mile endeavor served as a source of inspiration for the students at the Emily K as well as a real-life source of math word problems with which the tutors could work. “How many miles an hour must Jesse run to complete 100 miles in 24 hours?”

The numerical answer is 4.1666667. The better answer is: way too many for most. But not for Itzler. An experienced marathoner, he finished the first 50 miles in ten hours and it seemed to go by without a hitch. But as the November weather in Grapevine, TX where the run was held dipped to below forty degrees, Itzler was unable to stop shivering and battled blistered feet and dehydration. By mile 97, early in the morning on the run’s second day, he even began to hallucinate. His focus had gone from a “mind over matter” to sheer determination over even his mind.

When he crossed the finish line at under 23 hours, he had just enough energy to raise his arms triumphantly in the air. It was a feat of individual strength and will that the humble Itzler claims was aided by the support of many from his training, medical, and support staff that were physically there for him during the race to the people who encouraged him from afar. “Prior to my run, I got emails and letters from the kids that served as motivation during the run,” he says. “Knowing so many people were rooting for me really helped.” The personal pride he experienced and the bonds formed with those who went through it all with him were exacerbated by the positive impact his feat (and feet) would have.

At halftime of the Duke/UNC game on February 7, 2007, Itzler presented his $100,000 check to Marleah Rogers and Mickie Krzyzewski at mid-court in Cameron Indoor Stadium. On the same trip, he was able to visit with the students at the Emily Krzyzewski Center. He spoke to them about the Dream-Do-Achieve path that he had followed in his life in becoming an artist and businessman. More specifically, he spoke of the dreaming, doing, and achieving that took place from when the 100-mile run was an idea to when he crossed the finish line. “It was a huge thrill to see the fruits of my efforts in action!” Itzler says. His uncommon impact could not have been more “direct and measurable” than the smiles on their faces.

Head Coach to Head Coach

Jamie Spatola — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 17:13:18 +0000

Head Coach to Head Coach: Why Marleah Rogers is the Ideal Leader for the Dream-Do-Achieve Team

Because She Shares the DREAM

In January 2005, Marleah Rogers left a high-paying consulting job in order to offer sixth months of her time to an idea – but what she thought to be a very good one. Now, three years later, she serves as CEO of the nonprofit Emily Krzyzewski Center. The idea has become a vibrant reality and Marleah serves as the head coach of the talented and dedicated team that helps make dreams come true on a daily basis in the life of a growing nonprofit organization and in the lives of the kids that make all the effort worthwhile.

Marleah Rogers, her father Colonel (R) Tom Rogers and family had been longtime friends with the Krzyzewski family dating back from the Colonel’s time as an Officer Representative for the Army Basketball team when Coach K was a cadet. The two families had formed a tremendous bond over the decades and had experienced much of life’s ups and downs together. So, when Colonel and Marleah Rogers heard of the Emily K idea, they immediately wanted to invest. As they learned more, Marleah came to the realization that she could invest much more than cash into the organization. Seeing a need for a long-term strategy and business plan, she knew that she could lend her expertise from a long and successful career in both the consulting and the corporate world to help get the idea off the ground.

Her extensive experience aside, Marleah will tell you that there was one foundational element that made the subsequent building of the Center possible: “instant trust.” In this instance, the trust was a matter of serendipity, a fortuitous situation resulting from years of essentially familial friendship. But both Coach K and Marleah will tell you that instant trust is vital to getting anything done as a team; it is what allows you to get straight to the heart of the matter. And both leaders will tell you that the way to build this within a group is through consistent and honest communication, “…not just communicate to communicate,” Marleah clarifies, “but to communicate for alignment, action and results.”

Because Marleah immediately trusted that Coach K and family were going to be committed to the Center for the long haul and that their motives were pure, she did not have to waste any time – she could get right to business.

Because She Inspires Others to DO
And get right to business she did. As the head coach, it was her responsibility to turn the vision into a clear plan of action and assemble the right team to achieve it. Every team needs a game plan. For the Emily K Center, this required the formation of both a business plan and the establishment of a strong culture. After three years on the job, Marleah is quick to remind people that goals and measurements of success must be frequently changed and updated, but culture is consistent. There now exists an “Emily K Way” – embedded in the concept of the Dream-Do-Achieve pathway and devoted to establishing a successful and replicable way of getting the most out of youngsters by instilling high expectations for academics, character and leadership development. Their goal is for their students to graduate from college and excel in their career of choice.

Marleah is masterful at identifying talent and cultivating relationships. As a result, she has brought together and continues to bring together experienced, committed, and professional individuals and corporations willing to give of themselves to be a part of the great things taking place at the Emily K Center.

Another part of her philosophy of leadership that mirrors that of Coach K is the focus on allowing individuals within the team to be leaders too, to exercise creativity, and to essentially be themselves. “I love when my team surprises me,” Marleah says. “It shows that you are truly leading because you are empowering others to achieve without you.” In this type of environment, the leader, too, is operating for the benefit of the team’s shared goals not for the benefit of his or herself. As a result of this leadership style, the rest of the staff at the Emily K Center feels a sense of ownership of the place, the cause, and the success of each child.

Because She and Her Team Have ACHIEVED

The success of the Emily K Center can be seen in many ways. You can look at independent evaluations of results after one year which indicated significant success in closing the achievement gap between the students and their peers across all income groups nationally. You can talk to representatives from some of the organizations that have offered their pro-bono corporate support who say that the Emily K Center is an extraordinarily well-managed nonprofit organization. Or you can simply talk to one of the scholars who spend their afternoons working, laughing, and dreaming at the Center. Through any of these means, you would discover that much has been achieved at the Emily K.

But Coach K and Marleah Rogers share yet another thing in common as leaders: they are never satisfied. There is so much more to achieve. When asked what has kept her around at the Emily K beyond her originally promised six months, Marleah answered, “Because of the impact we are having and the impact we can have.” There is still much that the Emily K Center will do in Durham. There are more talented kids to help through school, more generations to send to college, more committed families that deserve a chance. But her vision does not stop there. The Emily K Center can provide a replicable model for other cities seeking to radically change the educational achievement of low-income students.

Emily Krzyzewski Center staff and volunteers work every day to ensure that youngsters embrace the DDA pathway to excellence, but it is the Center itself that serves as the ultimate example of Dream-Do-Achieve. Marleah Rogers is the head coach of the team that has made it happen.

Duke’s Family Man

Jamie Spatola — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 17:12:23 +0000

Duke’s Family Man: The Story of the Visit that Landed Duke’s Most Important Recruit

An intense February rainstorm and an away loss in Chapel Hill does not seem the ideal combination for a campus visit by one of the nation’s top high school prospects. But it proved to be the winning combination in landing Johnny Dawkins, the young man whose commitment to the Duke Basketball family changed everything.

February 27, 1982 — The NCAA does not allow for a recruit to accompany a host team to a road game so, before heading nine miles down the highway for an afternoon match up with the No. 2-ranked Tar Heels, Coach K dropped his prized recruit at his family home to watch the televised game. Johnny had come to Durham alone, without his parents or his high school coach, so it would be a small party of five watching the game together: 18-year-old Johnny, Mickie Krzyzewski and the three Krzyzewski daughters who were 11 years old, four years old, and four months old at the time. “It was the natural thing to do,” says Mrs. K, referring to the circumstances. “We had an important recruit in town and Mike was on the road, Johnny would obviously come and watch the game with us.”

Mrs. K can remember sharing a meal and making small talk with the high school standout about various things including the Washington, DC area where they both had grown up. Then, the family plus one settled into the comfortable basement den to watch the game. Johnny remembers little of the small talk but does remember watching the game with Mickie. “I remember the passion that Mrs. K had pulling for the team. I was struck by the real emotion she was willing to share in front of a stranger.”

And it was an emotional evening for a coach’s wife, hosting a recruit they desperately needed while watching a painful game on television. Carolina shot nearly 70% from the field in the first half and, when the teams took the locker room at halftime, Duke was down 42-17.

A strong February rainstorm contributed to what was already a stormy afternoon for the Blue Devils and the day reached its lowest point when the lights went out at Carmicheal Auditorium, UNC’s home court. Mrs. K wondered what Johnny could have possibly been thinking as they waited out the twenty minutes it took for the lights to come back to life.

Mickie knew how important this young man was to her husband and to his fledgling program. And pre-visit talk about Johnny Dawkins must have been intense in the Krzyzewski home. So intense, in fact, that it was understood by a four-year-old girl. Near the end of the game that Duke ended up losing 84-66, a precocious Lindy Krzyzewski left the corner where she had been coloring and approached the 18-year-old Dawkins, handing him a folded up piece of torn notebook paper and a blue crayon. On it, she had written, “Will you come to Duke?” and provided two boxes labeled “yes” and “no,” asking the question that was on everyone’s mind and that certainly worried Mrs. K after the less than ideal day that had transpired. Johnny chuckled and put the note in his pocket.

After the game, Mrs. K put the girls to bed and she and Johnny waited. Coach K returned that evening and the two men sat down in the K home’s formal living room. The ensuing talk lasted hours as they dissected the game that had just transpired and Coach K relayed his vision of how Johnny would fit into the system and culture the 36-year-old head coach was trying to instill. When he left the Krzyzewski home that evening, Johnny knew which box he would check.

Even though Carolina had come away with the win that evening led by James Worthy’s 22 points and featuring a freshman Michael Jordan playing 22 minutes and contributing 11 points, Duke had won the evening’s more important victory.

When asked about his recruiting visit years later, Johnny smiles. “It was real,” he says. “Other recruiting visits felt like an act or a show that was being put on for me. This was real. I felt comfortable with Coach, his family, and his vision. I just knew.”

Johnny became a part of two new families that day: the Krzyzewski family and the Duke Basketball family.

“I felt like the luckiest kid in the world,” he says.

But it was Duke that lucked out most of all. His February campus visit was far from ordinary but, to hear Johnny describe it, you’d think it was the perfect plan: “It felt like family. It felt like home.”

Duke remains thankful for the day that Johnny became a part of the family.

Family, Duke, Country

Jamie Spatola — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:10:27 +0000

Coach and Mrs. K have frequently been asked about the “pressures” that accompany Coach’s current role as the head coach of both the Duke Basketball team and the first-ever, three-year head coach for USA Basketball. Indeed, he is primarily responsible for a top-25 college basketball team whose standards of success deem losing in the Sweet Sixteen somewhat of a disappointment and merely making the NCAA tournament a veritable travesty. Additionally, he heads up a star-studded USA Basketball team given the difficult task of redemption – to bring basketball supremacy back to the United States and to include winning an Olympic gold medal this coming summer in Beijing.

It certainly sounds like pressure. But neither Coach K nor his wife would call it that.

If you were to ask Coach K what word he would use instead, he would say that this is an unprecedented opportunity. While winning both a National Championship and an Olympic gold medal in the same year seems nearly impossible, Coach K feels lucky, thankful, blessed to be in the position where that could even be. He marvels at this tremendous opportunity and, to him, it doesn’t feel like pressure. It feels like a chance that he can’t believe he has. He wonders why he is the one who has it. It humbles him. It makes him reverent.

Coach also emphasizes the fact that one of these roles does not serve as a distraction from the other. He insists that right now his focus is entirely on Duke Basketball and all evidence seems to suggest that this is true. Even after arriving back home at about 3:00 am after the Duke trip to New York and a tough loss to Pitt, Coaches K and Collins were on a plane to Florida later that morning to see some of Duke’s high school prospects at work. He spent the holiday reviewing tape of every Duke game thus far this season and conversations around the Christmas dinner table inevitably shifted to talk of the Duke team.

While he is one hundred percent focused on Duke Basketball right now, it still brings a smile to his face when he hears from members of the USA team – a note with photos of Kobe and his family, a call from Chauncey, a Merry Christmas text from Amare. And, of course, the USA coaching staff is still in touch. It is neat to see the way they learn from one another, their mutual respect, and their genuine desire to see the other succeed. So, while both the members of the team and coaching staff are in communication, they are all focused on their respective missions for the current college and NBA seasons.

Mrs. K sees the situation a little bit differently, but she still wouldn’t call it pressure. She says that the level of what many would call “pressure” is no different now that at any other time in her husband’s career. His standards for himself are perpetually high. These standards are no different from those he has for himself in any job he is doing. Were they headed to Napa Valley this summer, Coach K would expect to raise the most money ever for the Jimmy V Foundation. Were he to spend August doing speaking engagements, he would work hard on his presentation to ensure stellar feedback and inspirational results. Were he working on another book, he would want it to be the best he’d ever done. The standards are no different, so there is no new level of pressure.

She, too, recognizes it as an opportunity, but would also classify the situation as a time management challenge. The biggest adjustment is the amount of time that must be devoted to USA Basketball in order for it to be done the right way. It is not a matter of a new stress level, but rather more to do with no additional time. When such a major commitment is added to an already busy life, some things have to change in order to make room for that new thing. Something’s gotta give.

At a family dinner table at Durham’s University Club in the fall of 2005, the Krzyzewski family had a serious discussion about exactly what that something would be. Separately, each member of the family stated that they were not willing to give up the time devoted to the annual Krzyzewski family vacation. While Coach K had recognized the true honor in being offered the chance to be the national head coach and to participate in the Olympic Games, his family, and his wife in particular, reminded him of what an honor it is to be a member of an incredibly loving family.

So, the family embarked on this journey together, recognizing that there would be some sacrifice and knowing that the most difficult part would be to figure out how to fit it all in. And, each summer, thanks to some crafty scheduling and cooperation, there has been a Krzyzewski Family vacation. This year, for Christmas, Coach and Mrs. K surprised their three daughters, three sons-in-law, and five grandchildren with the knowledge that all of them would be headed to China for the Olympics in August.

Coach and Mrs. K are looking forward to both the opportunity to win an Olympic gold and to the time spent doing something amazing as a family.

But, first and foremost, they are looking forward to Cornell on January 6.

Dream, Do, Believe

Jamie Spatola — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:08:20 +0000

In the midst of media innuendo that perhaps Coach K has lost a little something, I have been spending time at a place where the values he has held dear throughout his life and career remain abundantly relevant. While working on a writing project with the Emily Krzyzewski Center’s Pioneer Scholars, I learned that daring to dream, embracing fundamental values in the development of character, and seeking to make the most of potential through the power of belief are producing inspirational results in the lives of some amazing kids.

I suppose this is not going to be your typical “article.” This time, I’d just like to tell you about an experience I feel tremendously lucky to have had. I suppose that the spirit of the holiday season has prompted me to write about something that is just plain good, perhaps as a reminder that there is more than just quality basketball happening around here.

Upon moving back to the Durham area this year, I knew that one of the first things I wanted to do was get involved at the Emily K Center. I have watched admiringly as Marleah Rogers and staff have made the Center a dynamic reality and I have been eager to volunteer. Originally, I was uncertain as to what that involvement may be, but after a couple of brainstorming meetings with Education Director Adam Eignerauch and Education Program Director Amy Cummings, we developed an idea.

As Coach K’s daughter and sometimes co-author, Adam and Amy invited me to speak to the kids about writing and to work with them, collectively and individually, on their own book which would be based on the work my dad and I did in Beyond Basketball: Coach K’s Keywords for Success.

I came to my first visit feeling nervous and under-qualified, but the kids at the Center put me immediately at ease asking numerous questions and making me laugh before I could even begin my presentation. I spoke to them briefly about how I got into writing, focusing on the Dream-Do-Achieve pathway that led me here. The concept of dreaming, doing, and achieving is a pathway that has served as the basis for all of the Emily K’s programs — encouraging big dreams, granting opportunities to do, and, thus, setting them on the path to achieve.

One thing that I wanted to emphasize to the kids about dreaming is that it is not necessary, as a youngster, to dream with singularity. Dreams do not have to be so specific. Some children may grow up knowing that they want to be a doctor and have a single-track mind that will guide them down that pathway to success. But, I had one young man that told me he wanted to be either a boxer, a doctor, or a dog-walker. Why can’t he believe that he could be all three?

My other message to them was that they didn’t have to go it alone. To go from dreaming to doing to achieving is not always easy and it is important to let people help them along the way. I said to them that we were all lucky because someone believes in us. For me, I would have never had the guts to try writing if it weren’t for my dad. I was surprised and honored the day he told me that he wanted me to be his co-author on his next book. I am not sure why, but he believed in me, and that fueled me throughout the project. I told the Pioneer Scholars that I know for a fact that someone believes in them. Maybe it’s a parent, a teacher, or a sibling. Maybe it’s an aunt, or a grandfather, or a tutor. But I know that each of them has someone who believes. And the reason I knew is because they were sitting there at the Emily K.

I proceeded to talk to them a bit about the writing process. Since the kids are familiar with the concept of Dream-Do-Achieve, I tried to discuss writing using a similar framework, taking them from brainstorming, through multiple drafts and edits, and ending with the achievement of a final product.

After discussing the writing process, I informed the kids that, when this was all said and done, they will have contributed to a book of their own. Beyond Dream-Do-Achieve will be a collection of essays written by the Emily K’s Pioneer Scholars. The fundamental pillars on which the 63 Pioneer Scholars build their character are Heart, High Expectations, Hard Work, Integrity, Honesty and Respect. Each student selected one of the six pillars and wrote a composition about what that word means to them and a time in their lives in which they were able to show that particular trait. As discussed in Beyond Basketball, the kids were able to identify with the concept that you can look up all the definitions of words you want, but you don’t own them until you can define them with a story from your own life.

Each student was also presented with their own signed copy ofBeyond Basketball. One of the students mentioned in the parking lot afterward that it was the first time anyone had given her a book.

As I read through the rough drafts, I became truly impressed by the complex understanding these youngsters had of some difficult concepts and I truly feel as if their takes on the pillar words enhanced my own comprehension of the concepts — I do believe that anyone who reads the final product will feel the same.

On my subsequent visit to the Center, I was able to meet individually with each of the students to discuss my notes on their final draft. I think this was my favorite afternoon spent at the Emily K, having the opportunity to meet with each of the kids one-on-one, look them in the eye, and talk to them about their composition.

We also selected four girls to work together after normal Center hours one evening on a foreword for their book. Jadiya Oates (Grade Six, Pearson Middle School), LaTosha Ruffin (Grade Six, Carrington Middle School), Leona Vareene (Grade Five, Eno Valley Elementary School), Alyzia McAlmon (Grade Six, Brogden Middle School) and I had dinner together at the Center one evening as we outlined the elements essential to their book’s introduction. Each girl was given the task of completing one paragraph of the foreword in addition to their composition. They accepted this with smiles and I could tell they thought of it as an opportunity rather than an assignment.

On one more visit, I met individually with Alyzia McAlmon. I am so impressed with Alyzia’s writing but, even more, with her presence. She is a confident young woman with genuine eyes. When you converse with her, she truly listens. On top of that, she is impressively intelligent. After Alyzia interviewed me for a school project, I asked if she would take the time to help me with a project of my own. Alyzia graciously accepted and wrote up a reflection of the Beyond Dream-Do-Achieve project forBlue Planet.

Anyone who has read the Emily K Center Annual Report knows that the Center is producing some amazing results. Standardized tests conducted upon program entry showed 66% of the students reading below grade level. Follow-up tests have 62% now reading above grade level. Now, Marleah, Adam, Amy and the Emily K Center staff plan to extend the Pioneer Scholars program (K-8th) into a Scholars to College program that will continue to work with the youngsters in high school and support them through matriculation. The Center hopes to establish meaningful, decade-or-longer, relationships with kids who lack the means, but not the talent, to do it on their own.

My experience over the past few months with the students at the Emily K has been a reminder to me of what winning means and how it happens. It can be a reminder to all of us that we are not being naïve to think that “old school” values still produce results, that belief still works, and that dreams come true. It happens. It happens at the Emily K Center. It happens on the basketball court. It happens at Duke. If you are willing to believe, you could see it too.

ALYZIA McALMON ON THE EMILY K CENTER & THE PIONEER SCHOLARS PROGRAM

I enjoy the Emily K Center. It is a wonderful place to get work done. Ever since I started the Pioneer Scholars program I’ve been doing even better at school. The Emily K Center is like a fun place to get homework done. At the Emily K Center every week we have students from Duke University volunteer to help us with our work. Each group has their own Lead Tutor. My Lead Tutor is Ms. Heather. She is an excellent Lead Tutor.

Earlier this year, the students in the Pioneer Scholars program began a project called “Beyond Dream-Do-Achieve.” This project was for each student to write about a time that they used one of the pillars and learned from it. The pillars we follow at the EKC are: Heart, High Expectations, Hard Work, Integrity, Honesty, and Respect.

My contribution to this project was a story about a time when I was younger and I learned the positive effects of demonstrating Heart. I learned a lot from writing this story. By writing this story I learned a lot more about the pillars and what they truly are about.

Personally, I thought the best part of this project was brainstorming something to write about. The brainstorming process was tough because there have been so many points in my life where I have showed one of the six pillars. I was also honored to have the opportunity to meet Jamie Spatola and work with her on other projects. That was very special to me.

Having this learning opportunity has inspired me to become a writer. It has also helped me to develop the skills necessary to be successful in my future. I will definitively put this on my college resume. It is an honor to be chosen to participate in this program.

-Alyzia McAlmon, Grade 6

Unique Legacy

Jamie Spatola — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:06:39 +0000

The Duke Basketball Legacy Fund is one in a million. Or perhaps it is better said that the Legacy Fund is unique, first of all, because its members have to give a million to be one. No doubt, this type of entry fee brings together a group of individuals who have set themselves apart in their respective fields and have the ability and desire to give to endeavors they believe to be worthy of their support. So just what is it about the Legacy Fund that each of its 34 historical and 29 active members have found to be so worthy?

As a member of the Duke Basketball Legacy Fund, one does receive certain exclusive benefits that would make most Duke Basketball fans drool: exclusive and premium-seating tickets to all Duke Basketball games including to the ACC and NCAA Tournament, use of the private Legacy Room at games in Cameron Indoor, invitations to all Duke Basketball events, a yearly trip on a team charter flight, and an annual Legacy Fund dinner hosted at the Krzyzewski home. A tempting package indeed, but hardly on the level of having a university building named in your honor or other forms of recognition that would typically accompany such a generous donation. But Legacy Fund members — or “partners” as they are more appropriately called — are not in it for the recognition. What membership means to these individuals is suggested by the name of the group itself; these are people committed to the Duke Basketball Legacy. It’s about the name on the front of the jersey.

Legacy partners do not join because they seek gratitude and personal recognition, they join because they believe. Just as Tommy Amaker, Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner, Jason Williams, and Carlos Boozer have left their lasting mark on Duke Basketball through their character and talents on the basketball court, Legacy partners have made the decision to use the fruits of their success in their respective fields to become a part of the team that has and continues to set the bar for college athletic programs. In fact, many of the players and managers that chose to believe in Duke Basketball as part of the team during their student days, have chosen to continue their support and involvement as Legacy Fund partners. Three-time All-America and seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill was the Legacy Fund’s first member and chairman, forming the Grant and Tamia Hill Scholarship in 2000 which has since provided the scholarship support for Blue Devil greats Nate James, Mike Dunleavy, Dahntay Jones, Chris Duhon, J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams, Josh McRoberts, and, this year, Gerald Henderson. Christian Laettner and Brian Davis, who were co-captains and roommates during their time at Duke, have also shown their continued commitment with a $2 million donation. In joining the partnership, Grant and Tamia; Christian and Lisa; and Brian and Marcia have exhibited their desire to remain a part of the Duke Basketball legacy for years to come.

And thanks to the Legacy Fund partners, the legacy becomes increasingly impressive and is moving quickly toward its goal. The team is on its way to the goal of fully endowing the basketball program at Duke to include player scholarships, coach salaries, and the building of a capital fund to ensure basketball facilities continue to grow to meet the needs of the program into the future. Since being a part of a basketball team can sometimes be about statistics, here are some of the Legacy Fund’s impressive numbers.

*To date, the group has contributed a total of $58.2 million to Duke Basketball-related projects.

*$18 million has gone to the completion of the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Center which houses men’s and women’s basketball offices and locker rooms, the Hall of Honor, and an academic center.

*$18 million has gone to the creation of the Michael W. Krzyzewski Center — Dedicated to Academic and Athletic Excellence, which will include a practice facility, upgraded weight room, classroom and computer lab, video theatre, and event hall.

*11 Men’s Basketball scholarships have been completely endowed, including 10 players and one student manager.

*The Associate Head Coach position has been endowed.

*$3.55 million has gone to renovations of historic Cameron Indoor Stadium including air conditioning installation and upgrades to the locker rooms and concourse area.

*Additionally, the Legacy Fund has allowed for upgraded recruiting travel and financial compensation for the top-notch Duke coaching staff, upgraded video and computer equipment for team use, and a one-of-a-kind overseas basketball trip for the Duke squad in 2003.

As everyone in the Duke Basketball family is aware, the success of a great team depends on more than statistical excellence. It is about communication and the forming of relationships. The Legacy Fund has stood out in this area as well, initially funding the creation of the K Academy which has just completed its fifth year and has proven itself to be the top sports fantasy camp in the country and the only of its kind in college basketball. Furthermore, the Legacy partners initially helped to fund the creation of The Coach K/Fuqua Conference on Leadership which brings some of the top leaders in the country in all fields to Duke each October. To add to the Legacy group’s list of “firsts” and “onlys,” this leadership conference is the first collaborative athletics/business school venture in the country. For a project that began only seven years ago, in 2000, these are some pretty spectacular accomplishments.

However, for both the team on the court and the supporting team off the court, there is more work to be done. As the Duke players and coaching staff continue to pursue championships, the rest of the team is hard at work helping provide them with the means to do so, and more importantly, discovering new and creative ways to extend that success on the court to worthy partnerships and endeavors off the court. Projects still on the agenda are the establishment of three more student-athlete scholarships, further renovations to Cameron including the scoreboard and sound system, endowments for the head coach and two remaining assistant coach positions, and the endowment of the entire basketball operating fund. Upcoming Legacy Fund projects include a focus on the long-term preservation of Cameron Indoor Stadium, ensuring that Crazies for decades to come can raise the roof in the historic arena.

Not to go without mention is the Legacy Fund staff, who are unique in their own right. There is Mike Cragg, the Director of the Legacy Fund, Rachel Curtis, the Associate Director of the Legacy Fund, Debbie Savarino, Assistant Director of the Legacy (and Director of External Relations), and Erin Andrews, Administrative Assistant for the Legacy Fund. The group is extraordinarily talented and gifted, most noticeably in their creativity which lends a special flair to each and every Duke Basketball event; none is ever like the other.

According to Fund Director, Mike Cragg, “No other school or sports program in the country has what we do in a donor program and a head coach that had the vision of leaving the program he guides financially secure and independent upon his retirement.” Indeed, Legacy partners accomplish a sense of team mirrored by the program to which they so generously give their support. They have given of themselves to be a part of something bigger. As a result, they have not only “joined” the effort of the Duke Basketball staff and players in leaving a lasting legacy, they have helped to define and hone exactly what that unique legacy will be.