On Dec. 1, approximately 90 students, friends and family members gathered in the Colonials Athletic Club at the GW’s Charles E. Smith Center for a special graduation. Forty D.C. public elementary school students had successfully completed the first semester-long program about HIV/AIDS prevention run by the Grassroots Project, a joint effort between student athletes from GW and Georgetown University.
Eighteen GW athletes, including members of the women’s soccer team, men’s rowing, cross country and women’s gymnastics, worked with their counterparts at Georgetown to devise an interactive eight-week curriculum that addressed how HIV/AIDS is spread and how to make safe decisions about sexual activity.
“We have developed an active way of dealing with the HIV/AIDS crisis in the District,” says Grassroots Colonials volunteer Jake Miner, a member of the GW men’s rowing team. “College athletes are seen as role models by many of these kids.
