Several members of the Bishop O’Dowd High School varsity rugby team participated in an afternoon community service project on November 3 for Kairos Outside, a support group for the families of incarcerated men. Every year Kairos Outside puts on a three-day weekend retreat for women who feel despair and hopelessness as their husbands or partners are currently serving time in prison. This is the second year that the O’Dowd rugby team has help set up for this retreat, held at Oakland’s Holy Redeemer Chapel.
Service project activities included: -transporting cots, tables, chairs and bins from the storage facility to the Chapel -setting up the cots, and inflating the mattresses -creating the living space, moving the cots, mattresses, bedding and chairs into the Chapel -setting up the dining room tables and chairs
“I am very proud of our kids, this week was spirit week on campus and they are being pulled in many different directions so to have such a great turn out speaks volumes about our rugby athletes,” head varsity rugby coach Ray Lehner said.
In the Spring, the rugby team participates in Wednesday night food service at the San Leandro Warming Shelter for a four-month period.
Those participating in the service at Kairos Outside included:
Coaches Ray Lehner Leonard Bragg Women’s Varsity Rugby Players Maggie Wu Sammy Gonzales Jesse Gonzales Elle Carper Jennica So Katelin Williams Kate Marcel Victoria Sears Shariyf Mayer Ruby Crudo Men’s Varsity Rugby Players Andrew Crudo Stefan Loukianoff Max Williams David Rosario Nick Sanchez James Knight Teddy Bruin Walter Garner