Deirdre Murphy is one of our long-time volunteers. In fact, she’s not entirely certain how she learned about our nonprofit organization, but she’s been sharing her time and talents with us since the 1990’s.
A lifelong sports participant (soccer, softball, basketball, tennis), Deidre recognizes the importance of sport in the lives of children. “The mission of San Antonio Sports is so important in our community and I know that the more volunteer hours we all put in, the more the organization is able to offer i play and other youth sports programs in the community.” She’s also a basketball fan so it’s no surprise that her favorite events “are the Final Fours, by far! I am a lifelong college basketball fan. I grew up in ACC Country – Go Blue Devils!”
It’s hard to choose the most memorable thing that has happened while volunteering when you’ve been at it for a while, but she narrows it down to working the FIBA Americas U18 Basketball championship in 2010. “I was the driver for the team from Puerto Rico and got to know the guys and their families over the course of the week and it was a good excuse to use my Spanish language skills – even though so many of the players were actually from New York! And I remember thinking ‘Wow that Kyrie kid on the U.S. team is going to be something someday!'”
She sums up why she continues to help our nonprofit. “I really appreciate the friendliness of all the staff at all levels. There are very few organizations out there where staff, even the CEO, takes the time to chat with the volunteers and that is super appreciated!” The appreciation is mutual. As a key volunteer, we know we can count on Deirdre’s help and call upon her whenever she’s needed.
Deirdre has been keeping busy this spring working for the City of San Antonio’s Health Department. “We will all get through this, but it hasn’t been an easy five months. I look forward to days of volunteering for sports events again! For now, my message is just stay safe and stay well everyone! And WEAR A MASK!!!” Thanks Deirdre. We’re wearing our masks and looking forward to seeing you and our volunteers again.