The Cheltenham Lady Panthers have established a reputation as one of the area’s premiere high school basketball programs, but they weren’t satisfied with that.
“Every day we hear – ‘They’re the girls’ basketball team. They win everything,’” team manager Ancy Thomas said. “That’s all we’re known for – winning games. No one knows who the girls are.
“I thought it would be something nice for the team to show that we’re not just about the game. We’re a team that actually cares about each other. We do things together, but it’s not just about ourselves.”
Children at the Stenton Family Manor can vouch for that.
The Lady Panthers collected close to 100 toys and distributed them on Christmas Eve to Stenton, a Philadelphia homeless shelter for families in transition.
“It was amazing,” said Thomas, who organized the toy drive. “Right before we were about to leave, one little boy came up to me and grabbed my hand and said, ‘Thank you for bringing all the toys.’ It just made me so happy just to hear that one kid.”
The visit was arranged by Maria Harper, the mother of former Cheltenham star Laura Harper who is a teacher at Cheltenham.
When the players – who were joined by Laura - arrived at the shelter, they were asked their intentions.
“We’re like, ‘Oh we might be here an hour. We’ll pass out the toys and play with the kids a little bit,’” Thomas said. “The man went over the loud speaker and said, ‘It’s Common Room Time.’
“Slowly, one by one all the kids started walking in there - all scared and didn’t know what to do. We went over, grabbed them and said, ‘Come play with us.’ We pulled out all the toys, and a whole wave of kids came in.”
The toys were distributed to the children one by one.
“We gave the dog to a little girl, the truck to a little boy and tried to match them up,” Thomas said. “Everyone went into the corners and ripped open their gifts. One kid would be pulling us one direction, and another kid would be pulling us in the other direction.
“There were only eight of us, and there were all these kids, and they all wanted us to play with them. It was really beautiful to see, but at the same time, it’s sad to see it and know they all live there. Some of the kids – their parents live there with them.”
Senior Liz Taliaferro recalls a special conversation she had with a wide-eyed little girl.
“I had a whole conversation with her, and she didn’t say one word,” she said. “You could see in her eyes she was listening to everything I was saying.
“She would nod or shake or head, but she never said one word.
“They were really receptive in their own ways. They weren’t fawning over us or anything, but you could tell they were enjoying the conversations we were having – whether they were teasing – it was just a genuine conversation.”
It is the second time in as many years the Lady Panthers have held a toy drive, but last year, inclement weather prevented the players from distributing the toys to the children, so Maria Harper delivered them instead.
But the seeds were planted for something they hope will become an annual event.
“It ended up being a big thing,” Thomas said. “I made fliers and gave some to the jayvee and varsity and even the ninth grade girls’ team. I passed them out at school to teachers, and every day people would give me toys.
“I would fill up my locker, and I would take them home.”
One night Thomas had a get-together at her house.
“I said, ‘If you want to come in and have food, you have to bring two toys,’” she said. “That was their admission to come in and hang out, and even the boys’ basketball team helped us out.”
Many of the players were already familiar with the shelter through their involvement with the school’s African-American Student League, an organization that is led by Maria Harper.
“Many of the girls are members of AASL, and once or twice a year they go to the shelter and play with the kids,” Thomas said. “I figured since Mrs. Harper had connections with the basketball team, it would be perfect to include her in this”
Initiating the toy drive again this year was a no-brainer.
“We started a little bit late, but we got just as many toys,” Thomas said. “I don’t want it to be a once and done thing. I want it to be continuous.”
The benefits, according to Taliaferro, go beyond simply giving toys to less fortunate children.
“First of all, it was a really good team bonding experience to do something outside of basketball that was beneficial to our community,” she said. “Personally, I really like kids. I work at a summer camp, so I enjoyed hanging out with them.
“It was a different kind of kid than I usually hang out with – which is the suburban type privileged kids, so it was a different kind of experience for me. I was able to interact with them and, hopefully, make them feel better about themselves and make it a better Christmas for them.”
Coach Bob Schaefer was pleased to see his players contribute off the court.
“It was great,” he said. “I always say this about my kids – when they leave the team and go on, I know they will be able to handle themselves. They go through a lot of experiences on our team.
“They learn to speak to people, and they take initiative to do things. This is just another example. Every year some of our kids come back and to hear them talk – they’re seeing what’s going on, and they know what they had here. I’m always very proud of what they do. They’re a great group of kids.”
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