As he dipped a paintbrush in a bright yellow paint before applying it to the exterior of Dr. Tanner G. Duckrey Public School in North Philadelphia, Temple football safety Willy Love, a sophomore health professions major, said community service is an important part of being a well-rounded student. 

“The North Philadelphia community supports us here at Temple. So taking time to give back to the community that supports us is incredibly rewarding,” Love said.

Temple football, Temple men’s crew, Temple’s Department of Public Safety (TUDPS) and students from the Tanner Duckrey School teamed up to paint a brighter future at the elementary school, one wall at a time, said Jennifer Griffin, chief of police and vice president for public safety at Temple.

“For Duckrey students, this is an opportunity to learn outside the classroom. For Temple, it’s an opportunity to give back to our neighbors,” Griffin said. “It is gratifying to see everybody come together to support our North Philadelphia community.”

It took a few hours to paint the outside of the playground area in the front of the building. They used its school colors of green and yellow.

Wesley Brown, a Temple linebacker and redshirt first-year kinesiology major, said painting the school with Duckrey students alongside him was rewarding.

“I want Duckrey students to know we have their back, that they have some positive role models in their corner,” Brown said.  
K.C. Keeler, Temple football’s head coach, called the finished painting “a vibrant display of community spirit.”

“We are doing more than just painting the school’s exterior. We’re also showing our commitment to fostering positive relationships between the university and its neighboring communities,” he said.

Previously, TUDPS and Temple Athletics have partnered on other initiatives, such as donating 3,000 books to Paul L. Dunbar School to promote literacy during Read Across America Week in March. In that event, Temple football players and police officers formed a human chain to deliver the books. 

Additionally, TUDPS partnered with the women’s track and field team and the cheer team in April to prepare more than 150 lunches for the Bethesda Project Shelter, a local nonprofit that provides emergency shelter to adults experiencing homelessness.
The painting project at Duckrey demonstrated another ongoing effort to build stronger, positive connections with the North Philadelphia community, said Griffin. 

“To brighten up this space shows Temple’s commitment to North Philadelphia,” Griffin said. “That’s why projects like these are so important.”