STANFORD, Calif. – Project SWEEP is now in its second year and founder Sarah Hirshorn of the Stanford lightweight rowing team continues to expand the volunteer program.
SWEEP, which stands for Stanford Women’s Education Erging Program, was started by Hirshorn midway through last school year. Hirshorn’s idea got off the ground with the help of The John L. Hinds Director of Tennis Dick Gould.
EPATT, a non-profit youth development organization, had partnered with Gould for an after-school tennis program. Gould connected Hirshorn with the organization and erging joined tennis as a weekly activity for the local youth. The children come every Wednesday to the Ford Center and several Stanford student-athletes spend about an hour playing games and teaching them rowing techniques on the erg.
In the fall quarter, Hirshorn looked to expand her program. First she reached out to members of the men’s and women’s openweight rowing teams at Stanford to add volunteers.
“Initially it started as just a couple of girls from the lightweight team and Nancy Miles,” said Hirshorn. “We thought it would be a great idea to expand it to the openweights because we all love the sport of rowing and it unites us.”
Junior Karl Wessendorf has been very active from the men’s team, while junior Meredith Fischer and two freshmen Madi Kist and Tracy Roberts have joined senior Nancy Miles from the women’s team. This group adds to the lightweights who have helped Hirshorn’s cause, including junior Katherine Christel, sophomore Jackie Huddle and fres hman Hannah Levy.
The second part of the expansion came to Hirshorn while she was taking a class called Strategic Philanthropy with Laura Arriallaga-Andreessen through the business school.
“It was so inspiring for me to see that she had so much passion and dedication to service,” said Hirshorn. “Philanthropy isn’t just donating money, but instead you can give your time, your energy, your enthusiasm. After her class I decided it would be great to grow SWEEP.”
The idea Hirshorn came up with was to take the kids out on the water.
“As we have been going along we have been talking to the kids about what it is like being on the water,” said Hirshorn. “They expressed interest and with the support of my coaches and the athletic department we were able to make this day happen.”
Hirshorn, Fischer, Levy, Miles and Wessendorf met seven kids from EPATT at the Stanford Rowing and Sailing Center on a Saturday. The Stanford rowers took the kids through a mini-practice that included launching the boat and rowing by pairs, fours and sixes. Miles served as coxswain of the eight, Wessendorf sat in stroke seat, Hirshorn was in the bow, Fischer was the coach from the launch and Levy was the certified lifeguard.
“Everyone was learning together,” said Miles. “The enthusiasm the kids brought to the erg transferred to the water. They did a phenomenal job listening. I don’t know if the kids had more fun or I had more fun.”
The kids quickly figured out that rowing was not as easy as it looks, but were able to improve quite a bit over the hour they were out on the water with some excellent coaching tips from the Stanford student-athletes.
“We came in and just wanted to have a fun experience,” said Hirshorn. “Just to watch the resilience and hard work from the kids was an amazing experience for us. It was truly a testament to the power of collaboration and hard work.”
Now that Hirshorn has achieved her goal of taking Project SWEEP to the water, what is next for the program?
“I would love to get the kids on the water more,” said Hirshorn.
