Strength Team message encourages strong
character, bodies and faith

   The thunderous sound of crushing bricks and the cracking of splitting wood bats caught the attention of area audiences that attended the Strength Team program held over six days in and around Livingston County last week. The team presented their motivational program during daytime assemblies to students at Perry, Wheatland-Chili, Churchville-Chili, Pavilion and York Central Schools. In addition, the Strength Team gave five evening performances at Caledonia-Mumford Central School. Avon Wesleyan Church sponsored the program that promotes a positive and encouraging message to young people, especially middle and high school aged students. Their evening rallies included a faith-based component.

   Dan Murray, middle school principal at Wheatland –Chili Central School, said the Strength Team program was an overwhelming success with their students. They delivered two age appropriate programs to both the middle and high schools at separate assemblies. WCCS annually kicks off the new school year with a motivational multi-media presentation, but this year decided to try something new. That’s when a faculty member suggested The Strength Team program. Murray says both he and the high school principal are glad that they did.

   "It was awesome. Their message to the students was that even though a person is strong on the outside they still need to be strong internally. Their show is very visual, with demonstrations of breaking a wood baseball bat with their bare hands, crushing blocks and manually blowing up a hot water bottle definitely got the students attention,"

   Murray said the students were at attention during both programs and responded positively to The Strength Team’s encouragement to make positive choices and to carefully choose what they believe in.

   Children, teens and adults from several communities and schools attended the evening rallies at Cal-Mum. Church organizers said an estimated 900 children and adults attended over five nights. Children excited by the program they’d heard at Churchville-Chili Central School during the school day convinced their parents to join them for the evening show and a group of varsity football players from a neighboring school district also returned for the evening message, after hearing the team’s challenging program at their school.

   Avon Wesleyan’s relatively small congregation of about 250 people didn’t let their size or the substantial costs associated with hosting the team for five days prevent them from sponsoring the programs. Karen Jones, wife of Avon Wesleyan Pastor Dan Jones, said it’s estimated to cost a church between $5 - $8 thousand dollars to host The Strength Team for one or more programs. Church members began planning for the Strength Team visit last May. They named about a dozen or so department leaders who organized and supervised about 20 workers in each group.

   "It was a huge effort but we organized a prayer team and other teams to provide all of their needs such as housing, transportation, materials for the show meals, and other services.

   Dan and Karen Jones opened their home to the team members for the week with the help of many friends who donated beds for the men. Several local businesses donated materials and provided hospitality services to the team, which Jones says helped a lot since the men’s size makes meal preparation a challenge. Without a local store’s food donation, Jones said it probably would have cost $500 just to feed the men for the five days.

   The Strength Team visits communities across the country with their inspirational message to young people to have a "goal and dream in your heart." The team also presents a faith based program when performing in a non-school sponsored venue.

Strength Team combines dynamic feats of strength with
positive message for middle and high school students

   The Strength Team, a team of 18 professional athletes dedicated to educating and motivating students, will bring their positive message of making good choices and goal setting to elementary, middle and high school students in Livingston County.

   Former NFL athlete Mike Hagen, founder and president of the The Strength Team, has spoke in over 1,500 school assemblies, bringing a positive and motivating message to students. Topics include: choices, setting goals and dreams, character and six "P’s" of success, bullying and the power of words, and how drugs, alcohol and smoking can prevent you from attaining your goals.

   While there are many motivational programs available to schools, The Strength Team assembly grabs the attention of students by demonstrating incredible feats of strength, crushing bricks with their fists and bench pressing 500 pound weights. The high-energy fun combined with interactive and humorous communication between the team and the students, results in a powerful 45-minute program.

   The Strength Team will at York Elementary and Middle Schools on Friday, September 28 for afternoon assemblies. Evening rallies will be held at Caledonia-Mumford Central School, Wednesday, September 26 in the middle school auditorium, 7-8:30 p.m. and Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 27-30 in the elementary school auditorium, 7-8:30 p.m. Call 538-9371 for more details.