Olson reflects on “Dante’s Kids” and his place on the Good Works Team
10/9/2019 6:26:00 PM | Football
Higher LearningSprunk’s story inspires Kiwanis to connect kids with the GrizLife-changing trip comes together for Sprunk’s pen palsA Passing of the TorchHelp Dante Help the KidsOlson named to prestigious Allstate AFCA Good Works TeamOlson surprised with trophy for his inclusion on the Good Works Team
When the Montana football team played at UC Davis in late September, there was a special group of fans in the UM cheering section who were on hand to do much more than watch a football game.
After a hugely successful fundraising campaign, Keri Spengler's third-grade class from Gerber Elementary in small-town Gerber, Calif., made the journey down I-5 to watch their mentor Dante Olson take on the Aggies and to reconnect with him after the game.
But the trip had a higher purpose. For many of the kids from Gerber, not only was it their first college football game, it was their first time stepping on a college campus. And creating more opportunities for underprivileged kids to dream big and go to college is the reason that Olson began mentoring the class in the first place.
As part of the No Excuses University program, Spengler's class adopts a college to follow, finds a pen-pal from that school, and throughout the course of the year uses that connection to let the kids know that a college degree is attainable for anyone that works hard enough to get it.
For nearly two years, Olson has served as a pen-pal and mentor to Spengler's class, delivering that message and much more when he traveled to Gerber during a rare off week from football and spent the day with the kids.
The pen-pal program has become something of a Grizzly football tradition after Olson was chosen by former Grizzly Cooper Sprunk to carry it on. The game at UC Davis in September marked the second time one of Spengler's classes was able to raise funds to travel to the see the Grizzlies play, while at the same time touring college campuses to learn about post-high school opportunities.
Following his breakout junior season where Olson was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award and the NCAA Statistical Champion for tackles per game, his relationship with the Gerber kids caught the attention of football fans and administrators across the country as a truly selfless act performed by one of the nation's best student-athletes.
It even landed Olson one of the most prestigious honors in all of college football – a place on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, an elite group of 22 players from all levels of college football that dedicate themselves to working in the community as hard as they do on the field.
In January, Olson will be flown to New Orleans and will be honored at halftime of the Sugar Bowl for his inclusion on the Good Works Team. While there, he will also take part in a special community service project with former Good Works Team member and current voter, Tim Tebow.
Follow the links above for a complete history of Sprunk and Olson's dedication to supporting the kids at Gerber, and helping change lives.
After a hugely successful fundraising campaign, Keri Spengler's third-grade class from Gerber Elementary in small-town Gerber, Calif., made the journey down I-5 to watch their mentor Dante Olson take on the Aggies and to reconnect with him after the game.
But the trip had a higher purpose. For many of the kids from Gerber, not only was it their first college football game, it was their first time stepping on a college campus. And creating more opportunities for underprivileged kids to dream big and go to college is the reason that Olson began mentoring the class in the first place.
As part of the No Excuses University program, Spengler's class adopts a college to follow, finds a pen-pal from that school, and throughout the course of the year uses that connection to let the kids know that a college degree is attainable for anyone that works hard enough to get it.
For nearly two years, Olson has served as a pen-pal and mentor to Spengler's class, delivering that message and much more when he traveled to Gerber during a rare off week from football and spent the day with the kids.
The pen-pal program has become something of a Grizzly football tradition after Olson was chosen by former Grizzly Cooper Sprunk to carry it on. The game at UC Davis in September marked the second time one of Spengler's classes was able to raise funds to travel to the see the Grizzlies play, while at the same time touring college campuses to learn about post-high school opportunities.
Following his breakout junior season where Olson was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award and the NCAA Statistical Champion for tackles per game, his relationship with the Gerber kids caught the attention of football fans and administrators across the country as a truly selfless act performed by one of the nation's best student-athletes.
It even landed Olson one of the most prestigious honors in all of college football – a place on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, an elite group of 22 players from all levels of college football that dedicate themselves to working in the community as hard as they do on the field.
In January, Olson will be flown to New Orleans and will be honored at halftime of the Sugar Bowl for his inclusion on the Good Works Team. While there, he will also take part in a special community service project with former Good Works Team member and current voter, Tim Tebow.
Follow the links above for a complete history of Sprunk and Olson's dedication to supporting the kids at Gerber, and helping change lives.
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