Of all the service programs available at John Carroll University, the Carroll Ballers by far provides some of the most joy to the students who participate in it. This student-led organization has been bringing joy both to Blue Streaks and to residents of the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center since its founding in 2012 by students Michael Gong ’15 and Ned Barnes ’15.
Members visit the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) weekly to meet up with residents, play basketball and enjoy pizza together. According to Sr. Katherine Feely, director of the Center for Service-Learning and Social Action, basketball was chosen since it is so widely enjoyed and “it makes it easier to get to know residents.”
Though originally intended to strictly focus on steering residents away from further trouble with the justice system, Carroll Ballers has “turned into a life coaching experience” in which JCU students act as mentors to the young residents and give advice on aspects of life such as college applications and healthy eating habits.
Nathaniel Welch ’25, a member of the Carroll Ballers leadership team, emphasizes that the experience is “more about the bonding” than anything else. Since the same small group of Blue Streaks meet the same small group of residents week after week, a real sense of community forms between those involved. Another member of the leadership team, Christian Watters ’25, adds that the residents never feel that the students are “talking down to them” since they are so close in age. Rather than teachers or coaches, the students become friends with residents.
Kevin Freeman ’25, the third member of the leadership team, places importance on the fact that, to the kids at the JDC, the volunteers from JCU are some of “the only people they see.” As one of the few aspects of these kids’ lives that does not center around a detention center, the Ballers can provide a welcome change of pace.
Welch recalls correction officers noticing that, while playing basketball, a resident can “act like a kid again.”
Freeman also explains that volunteers act as “good role models” to some kids who have never had people to look up to. Since many of the residents “don’t know a lot of college graduates,” JCU students can provide a great image of someone who is working on bettering their life through higher education.
Though some courses at John Carroll have a service-learning component that require students to participate with the Carroll Ballers, students can otherwise volunteer to get involved with the organization. For those who choose to do so, the leadership team hopes they will gain an understanding of people born into less fortunate situations.
Welch describes how spending time with residents has allowed him to see “the positions they’re stuck in” that they see no way out of, creating more appreciation for his own positive upbringing. Freeman adds that students are able to reconsider not what crimes residents may have committed, but rather how they grew up “in an environment that would even allow” them to be involved with dangerous actions at such a young age.
Freeman encourages all Blue Streaks to consider joining the Carroll Ballers in the upcoming spring semester. “If we can get you to come once, you’ll definitely come back,” he says.
For any questions, comments or expressions of interest, the members of the Carroll Ballers leadership team can be reached at [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected].