Chicken Express and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football are partnering to honor the heroes in your community. Male and female student-athletes that lead by example on the field of play and in the classroom can be honored as Chicken Express Community Heroes and receive scholarship money to continue their education beyond high school. Athletes can be nominated at TexasFootball.com/ChickenExpress.
DANIEL LUNABig Spring High School
Daniel Luna is leaving his mark in Big Spring. He serves his community as a member of school organizations, Interact and student council. He helps with the student council’s food drive for cats and dogs, and those donations will go to local animal shelters. Interact has plans to visit those shelters, so he will play with neglected animals.
Luna also helps former athletes who are quad- riplegic, as a member of Interact. Garrett Parish,
an athlete from Coahoma, got injured in a sledding accident last win- ter, and Blantyn Gusman, a former Big Spring football player, experi- enced a car accident. The Gusman family is struggling financially, but he makes a monthly visit to both homes. He helps the families with yard work, and provides other assistance.
He’s definitely a role model for students in the school district. He helps elementary kids get out of their cars on Friday mornings, and they tell him they want to be like him when they reach his age. He also helps in the classroom, as demonstrated when he explained domain and range during test corrections. One of his classmates struggles with Algebra, so he tutors him outside of school.
Luna said he wants to leave a mark on the community, and his work is being noticed. Phillip Ritchey, the school’s football coach, said Daniel’s name will be around for a long time. Ritchey will challenge them to be like Luna on-and-off the field. During summer workouts, his work ethic and dedication to the team were rewarded when he was named captain of the 100% Club. He never missed a practice during the hot Texas summer.
“If we had a poster child for our program, Daniel would more than likely be one of the pictures on that poster, just because he’s a well-rounded kid and I love him to death,” Ritchey said.
CHELSEY BEANECommerce High School
Chelsey Beane is making a difference around Commerce. It’s important to have a foot in as many doors as possible, and she is definitely doing that. She plays basketball, softball, and volleyball at the local high school, plus she’s the cheer cap- tain, but her community service sets her apart.
It starts with her participation in the Na- tional Honor Society. She is always busy around the holidays because she participates in Clothe a
Child, and Angel Tree. For the first event, she meets needy citizens at Walmart, as early as 6 a.m. She is given a budget to provide each client with fitting clothes. She helps anonymous people at the second event. All she knows is the person’s age and size, but she also sees their wants and needs. When she’s done shopping, she drops every- thing off at the Chamber of Commerce, so everyone has something under the tree on Christmas morning. For all she knows, it could be for an acquaintance or friend, but that’s right up her alley.
She helps her classmates on a weekly basis. She’s a member of Rachel’s Challenge, an anti-bullying organization. She has mentored the same group of freshman since the beginning of the school year, and has got to know them. She is always looking out for them, and suggested they join school activities, like Spanish Club. She also tutors students every Friday.
She gives back to cheerleading at the yearly mini cheer clinic, and teaches choreography to its participants. This happens one Saturday in the fall, and the elementary-aged participants perform at the following football game.
“She’s a good face for Commerce,” Commerce volleyball coach Jenna O’Neal said. “She sets the tone and pace of what needs to be accomplished at Commerce.”
This article is available to our Digital Subscribers.
Click "Subscribe Now" to see a list of subscription offers.
Already a Subscriber? Sign In to access this content.
Don't Miss Any Exclusive Coverage!