The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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MARCH/APRIL 2021 ■ 23 One that has already committed to the program is Ged King, CEO of Sales Factory in Greensboro, N.C. King is an active sup- porter of NC State University and a proud member of the Wolfpack Club. His daughter Eva, described as a "big- time NC State athletics fan," is a junior at the Wilson College of Textiles at NC State, and his son Wil will join her next fall. Through the imPACK program, King saw an opportunity to increase his involvement at the school with a family experience. "What I liked about it was that it was active, as opposed to just writing a check," King added. "I thought that was pretty neat." The money raised will support the schol- arship fund, and whatever funds are left over will be used at the NC State director of athletics' discretion. Donors can request a sport or give param- eters for their match, but compliance issues restrict asking for a specific athlete. Eventually, a student-athlete will be paired with a donor when they are a freshman. A fun "Selection Sunday" style show revealed the first matches to start the program. King experienced a lot of anticipation waiting to hear about his family's match. "My whole family was excited about it," King said. "My daughter was in Raleigh, so she wasn't with us, but she was watch- ing, and my son and wife were watching. It was fun." Broussard noted that the relationship tends to benefit the donors at the beginning, but once the student-athlete gets older, it blossoms into a beneficial network for the collegian's future. "About two years into it, that student- athlete starts realizing that life is coming at them and they need to start worrying about getting on in the workforce," Broussard said. "We hope that down the road, it's also a network of Wolfpackers that pick our kids off the ground and get them started in life." That is the goal of King, who has been paired up with NC State redshirt freshman basketball wing Dereon Seabron. "It's so new, but imagining how can I help a Division I, elite athlete is a little daunting," King acknowledged. "There are things that I know about, at my age. They may think what I do is boring, but there are things that I can do to help them along with their career, or wherever they might end up. "The way that Ben explained it is that a lot of times these connections remain after graduation, and that's pretty cool, too." With the initial matches set, the first con- tact might comprise of emails, phone calls or perhaps even Zoom meetings. Eventually, once life post-COVID 19 sets in, the contact between the donor and student-athlete will become more in-person. "You can actually have the donor sit next to the student-athlete for breakfast or for lunch, and that's when the program really is going to take off," Broussard said. "The donor will get to see the smile on the face of the young person whose life they are chang- ing. It makes a big difference. "They have the ability to get to know each other in an honest relationship." The financial commitment is in addition to the regular membership dues, and Brous- sard noted that the Wolfpack Club is work- ing hand-in-hand with the university on the program. Any donors interested in becom- ing a member of imPACK can reach out to any representative with the Wolfpack Club to get started. "The hope is that the donor will have such a great experience that this is not just a four- year deal," Correll added. "Some of the do- nors have been excited because they are get- ting to directly see the benefit of their funds they are contributing and the big difference they are making in these kids' lives." ■ " What I liked about it was that it was active, as opposed to just writing a check. I thought that was pretty neat." " Ged King, imPACK participant on the new program Name Location Sport Student-Athlete Ashley Alphin Raleigh Men's Basketball Jaylon Gibson Baker Family Laurinburg Women's Basketball Elissa Cunane Drew & Jessica Caffrey Raleigh Football Ricky Person Colony Tire & the Creighton Family Edenton Football Isaiah Moore Doug Doggett Charlotte Wrestling Trent Hidlay Vinton Fountain Wilmington Baseball JT Jarrett Gugliotta Family Atlanta Men's Basketball Ebenezer Dowuona Rick Hahn Charlotte Football Ikem Ekwonu Holmes Family Raleigh Men's Basketball Braxton Beverly Hutchens Family Fayetteville Women's Basketball Kai Crutchfield Ged King Greensboro Men's Basketball Dereon Seabron Tom Livolsi Holly Springs Men's Basketball Shakeel Moore Randy & Robin Moffitt Family Oak Island Men's Basketball Cam Hayes Neal Family Littleton Football Tanner Ingle Nichols Family Laurinburg Wrestling Jarrett Trombly John & Alicia Nunnally Cary Football Thayer Thomas Pitts Family Greensboro Football Grant Gibson Shelco Raleigh Women's Tennis Anna Rogers Hans & Elizabeth Warren Charlotte Men's Basketball Manny Bates Whit Whitsett Raleigh Football Vi Jones Initial imPack Donors And Their Student-Athletes