By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

AS he heads into his junior season, Florida State Seminoles tight end Mavin Saunders was recognised for his off the field contributions to the surrounding community in Tallahassee, Florida.

Saunders has served as a volunteer mentor at Riley Elementary School in Tallahassee, Florida for the past 18 months. He began the initiative to earn extra credit for a criminology course but has discretely continued his role well beyond the intended completion date of the programme.

“I took advantage of the opportunity and I continued doing it outside of the class because I realised the impact it had on the few kids that I have been able to reach out to. It’s important to help those kids because of the situation they are in. In this area where Riley is, many of those kids don’t have mentors to push them, challenge them and help them to reach their potential. I’m just trying to help out, touch a few lives and do the right thing.”

The Bimini native has done the same for classrooms during his visits home in recent years and credits his upbringing for his decision-making on his path toward education and athletics in the NCAA.

“I’ve had experience back home. I’ve talked to schools so I’ve learned how to approach situations like this before. The first thing I did was to ask them about their lives at home and I think that was a different way than most people talk to them. Back home they know everything about me, they know my family, so it’s a little different here. I was blessed enough to have two older brothers that taught me to become a man as fast as possible and I realised how much of an impact it had on my life, coming from an island and to be able to come to school, play football and get a degree,” he said.

“I’m having a successful run, thank God for that, and I realised that having a platform here, being a football player, I can have an impact on the kids here because they love football. Everyone in the city knows who you are, and by me coming and talking to them about other things other than football, its really shocked them and helped a lot of them. They try to talk to me about the games or giving them advice on how to make it. I really use the two hours to express the point to them for making the right choices, respecting your elders and it’s been really successful for the kids.”

Saunders has chosen to work with individual students each semester to gain a firm concentration on social and academic life. He noted that for several months he mentored a student that had potential in the classroom but an unstable life at home, while another semester brought on a student that fell short in the classroom. Both students required the same level of attention and mentorship.

“Statistics show that more black men are in prison than college, so my goal is to help them to realise the importance of going to school instead of going down the road many expected them to go down. The area around Riley, the thing kids are exposed to, I’m just trying to show them there is a different way and I’m just trying to give them the blueprint on how to get there.”

Saunders received an Outstanding Adult Volunteer award for his efforts.

“I was pretty shocked,” he said. “I was honoured by it.”

As a sophomore, Saunders earned a noteworthy accolade in the classroom when he was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Academic Honour Roll. To receive the honour, students have to maintain a 3.0 grade point average or better in the classroom.

The Seminoles finished 10-3 last season, capped by a win over the Michigan Wolverines in the Orange Bowl.