Photo Credit: NAYS
Samantha Dickenson has been the Recreation Coordinator–Athletics at the city of Roanoke (Va.) Parks & Recreation for less than a year, but she’s already seeing the life-changing impact of her efforts.
“At the end of the 2014 youth basketball season, a mother and her teenage son approached me and asked if they could talk to me,” explained Dickenson. “The teenager thanked me for the basketball league. He said he had a lot of fun and made new friends. His mother went on to tell me that his grades had improved as well as his behavior, and he would be trying out for the high school team this coming year. It was nice to hear that what we do truly does impact young lives.”
Sports had a major impact on Dickenson’s life—both playing and watching games—and she always knew her passion for sports would propel her to some type of profession involving them.