In addition to its tireless preparation for the 2023 season, the Cal football program also brought community service to the forefront this summer, with over 70 players spending time giving back to the Bay Area community. 

"I think it's really important for us to get out into the community," senior offensive lineman Brian Driscoll said. "They give so much to us. They're the reason we're here. Especially for the guys who aren't originally from the Bay Area, getting out there and seeing how incredibly awesome this community is makes it really special."

With support from the Cameron Institute for Student-Athlete Development, the team built collaborations with diverse organizations and service groups that aligned with student-athlete interests and focused on access to opportunity in the East Bay.

Cal's defensive backs chose to work with the Berkeley Underground Scholars (BUS) in their "Incarceration to College" (ITC) volunteer service program. ITC is a college-readiness course that teaches A-G verified Career Training Education (CTE) courses inside juvenile facilities. The courses are designed to allow their students to earn CTE credits toward graduation, and are just one of the many services BUS provides in their efforts to create pathways for incarcerated, formerly incarcerated and system-impacted individuals into higher education. 

The defensive backs went to the Alameda Juvenile Justice facility to share their individual journeys to college as student-athletes. They engaged with the youths in open, authentic conversations about their personal experiences with higher education in a moderated Q&A session and with an open question session with the youths.

"It was a very humbling experience that reminded us all of how blessed we are to be in the position that we're in," junior defensive back and Bay Area native Lu-Magia Hearns III said. "Being able to share our journeys and aspirations allowed them to pick our brains and also to see that we all come from somewhat similar backgrounds. The best thing about it all was just being able to mingle with them and have free conversation. I know many of them probably don't get regular visits or phone calls, but I think we were able to make them feel alive again and have hope about their situations." 

In addition to venturing beyond campus grounds to connect with the community, Cal football also opened its own doors to create memorable experiences for Bay Area children. Offensive lineman Matthew Cindric and linebacker Myles Williams, in collaboration with the Cameron Institute and Special Olympics of Northern California, hosted the first-ever Golden Buddies Football Clinic at California Memorial Stadium on July 15. The free clinic was an all-day event, and allowed students ages 6-13 with and without intellectual disabilities to participate together in fun drills. Cindric and Williams, along with 40 other members of the team, ran the drills while aiming to encourage and empower the young students.
 
"The team was really motivated by this cause since about 80% of them had already volunteered with kids with special needs before," Cindric said. "When the guys heard the opportunity was here, they jumped at it to participate."

At the clinic, participants were split into small groups that traveled to different stations around the field. Stations included learning how to throw a football at a target, running receiver routes, practicing tackling, footwork drills for running backs and even water games. Members of the Cal cheerleading squad put on a halftime performance and the Bears showed off their skills by demonstrating field goal attempts and offensive plays. Cal alum and former NFL player Jeremy Ross also spoke to the students about the importance of working hard, making friends and having fun.

"The kids loved it; they had a really good time," Cindric said. "I think the volunteers also had a blast. All around smiles and happy faces." 

 

Golden Buddies was a success! ??

With the support of @CalCameronInst and partnerships with @SONorCal and E-Sports Bay Area, Matthew Cindric and Myles Williams organized a truly memorable event!#GoBears pic.twitter.com/PrAMPjZlNn

— Cal Football (@CalFootball) July 23, 2023

 

One of the hallmarks of Cal football's community service work is The Summer Reading Challenge. Originally piloted by former Bear and NFL running back Patrick Laird, the program was last run in 2020 by Michael Saffell, a former Cal player and current offensive graduate assistant. Driscoll spearheaded the re-launching of the challenge in 2023 following the shutdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

"I saw the challenge when I was a freshman at Cal and thought it was a really cool program," Driscoll said. "Reading was really important to me growing up, and I thought we should bring the program back. I brought the idea to the Cameron Institute and they were super excited to help."

The program aims to help fight summer learning loss for students in the Bay Area by encouraging students to practice their reading skills outside of the classroom. During the 2022-23 school year, Cal players visited local schools to get kids excited about the program and share the importance reading has had on their personal lives. In addition to visiting schools, Cal football hosted around 100 students at California Memorial Stadium where they got to know the students better and kicked off the challenge. The program, which began at the start of the summer and ends in September, has connected with 2,180 young students and families. First through fifth graders are challenged to read three books while sixth through eighth graders are encouraged to log five books. Every student who completes the challenge is eligible for two free tickets to the home football game versus Idaho on Sept. 16. There is still time to complete the challenge; follow this link to download the journal and learn more. 

"One of our goals is to make it a cornerstone of Cal football, something that the community can expect from us every year," Driscoll said. "The community gives so much to us, and us getting out there and giving back is so important."

"Cal football student-athletes had an incredible summer of service," Cameron Institute Community Engagement Specialist Tayler Perez said. "Their dedication to their sport and their community this summer set the bar for Cal-community collaborations. Each team member modeled and demonstrated the benefits of giving back to the East Bay and how to use their platforms to make a lasting and positive difference, which is a goal of the Cameron Institute Community Engagement Pillar."


Editor's Note: The Cameron Institute for Student-Athlete Development was founded in 2019 and made possible through a generous $12.5M endowment from C. Bryan Cameron. The Cameron Institute for Student-Athlete Development supports student-athletes reaching their full potential at Cal and thriving for a lifetime. A suite of services is delivered in various formats (1:1 sessions, team sessions, experiences within the community) through three main pillars: Career Development, Community Engagement, and Mental Performance & Leadership Development.