LIKE GOOD NEIGHBORS: Dexter athletes serve community through storm cleanup

DEXTER — Memorial Day is a day of rest and relaxation for many people in Southeast Missouri. But for members of the Dexter Bearcats high school football team and others, Monday was a day to help their community.

About 30 football players and several others broke away from a day off on Monday to help the city’s residents clean up after a severe weather outbreak ravaged the community Sunday, damaging homes and knocking out utilities to much of Dexter.

“We were all affected in some way or another by the storms that passed through the area on Sunday,” Dexter football coach Chad Jamerson said Tuesday morning. “With me living in Sikeston, I saw quite a bit of devastation in my neighborhood — then I had heard word that quite a few things happened here. Fortunately, I’ve got some really good parents who reached out to me and said, ‘Hey Coach, what do you think about us getting the kids together and giving a hand to help some people out?’

“If you’ve watched our program any over the past, that’s what we’re about — we like servant leadership and we like the opportunity to give back to the community.”

And so with the help of some parents, getting social media and sending out messages to members of the football team, Jamerson was able to round up a group of dads who were willing to donate their holiday, and a group of about 30 football players, cheerleaders and others.

The group met at Dexter High at 9 a.m. Monday and began by cleaning up some at Charles Bland Stadium since the high jump pads and the pole vault pit were damaged by Sunday’s storms. From there, the group branched out into the community.

“There was an abundance of families that said, ‘Hey, we could use some help at our house,’” Jamerson said. “Between the dads and the kids and the chainsaws and everything else, they got a lot of work done (Monday) and got some trees cut up.

“We let the dads do the cutting with the chainsaws and let the boys with the strong backs move the logs around. And it was just a day of giving back to the community that gives so much to us.”

Jamerson said seeing so many team up to give back is also good for Dexter athletics overall.

“It’s always nice when all our programs come together,” Jamerson said. “That’s what we’re trying to build here in our athletic department is the ideal, the sense of family and the sense of togetherness. Activities away from our sports help them build those bonds, create memories and get a better sense of community.

“We all want to win ball games, don’t get me wrong. The goal is to win championships and we want every one of our programs to win championships. … But in the process, we want to create better people, and we want to create good neighbors. And I feel like (Monday) was just one of the many examples we have of our kids stepping to the plate, hitting one out of the park and showing what a good neighbor can be.”

Last but certainly not least, Monday’s efforts speak louder than words about the quality of kids playing sports at Dexter.

“I think it speaks really high of the character of the kids and in the lessons that they’re taught on a daily basis from their families,” Jamerson said. “If they ever needed evidence or proof of the jobs that they’re doing as parents and as families, well look no further than the efforts made by our kids yesterday. They sacrificed a holiday. … That speaks a lot and that I think that really ties into the servant leadership stuff that we try to preach here on a daily basis.”