July 15, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Maintaining a positive attitude is the name of the game for Penn State Football at all hours of the day.
Head coach James Franklin and the team live by core value No. 1 ââ'¬" positive attitude ââ'¬" to ensure that every member of the program and every member of the community that the program touches have a upbeat attitude and experience during each interaction.
With that in mind, the entire team boarded three buses on Wednesday afternoon on a mission to make a positive impact on a visit to Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. For the second-straight year, the Nittany Lions received a rousing cheer from the medical center staff members, patients and their families when the group walked in the front door.
Upon arrival, the team broke into smaller groups and walked through different sections of the hospital to spread enthusiasm and uplifting energy. In room after room, the Nittany Lion players and staff members were greeted with smiles from patients and families. The hospital staff members in each wing posed for photos and thanked the team for taking time to visit the immaculate facility.
"We are really excited about being here," Franklin said. "This is turning into a tradition. We talk all the time with our guys about being men for others. That's a term we use all the time in our program to teach our guys about service...A lot of times all of us get caught up in our day-to-day lives, but coming to the Children's Hospital, it puts things in perspective. You realize how blessed you are. I've been inspired."
Several groups of players visited with non-ambulatory patients in their rooms in the Hematology/Oncology, Pediatric Intermediate Care, Medical/Surgical and the Emergency Room of the hospital. Other groups spent time engaging with ambulatory patients in the Tree House Cafe where they signed autographs and played games.
"Coming here and getting to see all of these kids and make an impact is an experience that I can't really put into words," senior Matt Zanellato said. "It's an experience that all of us look forward to. And it's something that all of us embrace and enjoy making an impact on the kids."
Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital is a 263,000-square-foot, five-story facility. The nearly $207 million facility was built adjacent to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center's main entrance.
"Our guys have a great platform, and they embrace the platform," Franklin said. "It's awesome when you can bring 125 guys (here), you can spread out and touch a lot of different people in a positive way."