The message that service is an important part of life has stuck with Andrew McSorley since his Freshmen year at Calvert Hall. Now a Senior, Andrew has lived out the Lasallian virtue of service as a Peer Ministry participant, helping others with homework, uplifting fellow classmates when they’re struggling or feeling left out, and getting involved in numerous service projects.
Along with his Varsity Football teammates JP McManus ’13, Emmanuel Holder ‘12, Matthew Manzo ‘12, and Kyle Powers ’12, McSorley organized his teammates to collect school supplies to donate to Brehms Lane Elementary School in Baltimore.
“I first got the idea of doing a donation/service project after I went on a sophomore retreat to Herring Run Head Start which is a preschool for children who live under the poverty line,” said McSorley. “I saw that these families had severe financial difficulties, drug problems, and single parent homes. These children had smiles on their faces the whole day (at Herring Run) and I knew they deserved a great education. I wanted to break the cycle of poverty that is so profound in Baltimore City by promoting education. 97% of students at Brehms Lane receive free or reduced lunches.”
Looking to give the underpriveleged students at Brehms Lane a better chance at academic success, McSorley and his teammates organized the entire Calvert Hall football team by their positions to collect all the different school supplies students would need, and were able to create 150 school supply packages!
“All the players opened their hearts up to this project by giving monetary donations, and donating more than enough supplies. For two weeks I collected donations, and by the end of the drive, the team was able to package up 150 bags.”
McSorley, McManus, Holder, Manzo, and Powers delivered the suprise school supplies to 150 Brehms Lane students on their first day of school.
“The social worker at Brehms Lane said he was extremely touched by the project,” said McSorley. “All the students loved seeing us in our football jerseys as we handed them their individual bag of supplies. The students were extremely polite and excited as they opened up their bags. Many teachers gave us hugs and thanked us for our team’s generosity.”
McSorley credits his teammates and Coach Donald Davis for the success of the project, claiming they were instrumental in pulling the whole project together.
“I owe it to the football team and Coach Davis because without them none of this could have taken place. Coach Davis is a great coach and role model who not only teaches us about football, but provides us with everyday life lessons. He was a key inspiration when I decided to organize the project.”
And it won’t be the last time Brehms Lane students will see Calvert Hall Cardinal jerseys. McSorley and the team will go back to Brehms Lane to read and play with the children in the after school program. In addition, with the help of the social worker at Brehms, the team will sponsor a few families during the Thanksgiving season.
“He’s a good student, absolutely a Lasallian,” said Assistant Prinicpal Joseph Baker.
“Andrew is a solid young man who quietly goes about his business,” said Assistant Prinicpal Charles Stembler ’83 “He is a leader by example.”
Applying to the U.S. Naval Academy, West Point, VMI, Virginia Tech, and Drexel, McSorely has already been accepted to The Citadel. In addition to being on the Varsity Football team that won the 2010 MIAA A Conference Championship, McSorely is also part of the Military and Police Interest Club and a Homeroom rep.