Coach Lisa Smentek brought up the idea of giving back and getting involved in service projects when she first became a part of the team around nine years ago. Although service is now done on a regular basis, Smentek said things weren’t always that way.

“We were pretty egocentric as a group,” Smentek said. “I was really fortunate to get some girls in the program who didn’t want to remain that way. Through just a little bit of encouragement and direction, I was able to start gearing those girls towards thinking about giving back.”

After it was established that the Tallenettes would get more involved in the community, a team chaplain role emerged. Senior Payton Martinez was the chaplain last year, and took on the role once again this year. She finds service opportunities for the team to participate in.

“Being able to set up the events is challenging, but I think that it’s stretched me as a leader in general and to be able to see the effects in my friends and other girls on the team is really powerful and moving,” Martinez said.

A common service project the Tallenettes participate in is Operation Shoebox. Shoeboxes are stuffed with toys, books and colored pencils for kids in third world countries during the holiday season. Some shoeboxes also include written letters. She said she once received a nice surprise from the girl who received her shoebox and letter.

“One year, when I was in second grade, this little girl actually wrote me back, which is very rare and I’d never heard of anyone doing that before,” Martinez said. “So I think that’s why I love [this project] so much, because I got to see the impact of it.”

The Tallenettes have volunteered at National Adoption Day, an event held at the Collin County courthouse. Kids who have been with foster parents are able to get adopted for free at this event. The girls get to dress up and take pictures with the kids, as well as give them stuffed animals to take home.

“Our girls get the opportunity to really be the biggest cheerleaders for these children who come in,” Smentek said. “These children come in and families of all kinds of numbers come in front of the judge and [the child] actually gets confirmed as a family member. It’s just a rich experience.”

Senior Courtney Borserine, who was responsible for setting up the event, said being a part of such a life changing event for children is an interesting experience.

“It’s really cool because normally when people get adopted they have to wait… and it’s so expensive,” Borserine said. “The kids obviously didn’t come from a very good place so [the community] gets to do something nice for them and it’s just such a happy time.”

A weekly service project the Tallenettes do is collect canned food for the local ACO Food Pantry. The girls have donated around 500 canned food items. The cans are collected on Fridays and are given to families in the Allen community through the food pantry.

“We tend to think that Collin County is solid and financially stable and not everyone is,” Smentek said. “They just aren’t. [The girls] realized what the potential is at the Food Pantry as far as being able to serve families.”

Along with all of these projects, the Tallenettes also adopt a family with a need every year. One year, they heard about a lady who had cancer. Because of her illness, she could not care for her two sons and was unable to work. One of her sons was going to college and the other was a special needs boy named Tristan. The Tallenettes adopted the complete family for two years until the mother passed.

“It’s been a really neat opportunity to reconnect with Tristan even after two years,” Smentek said. “He remembers the girls. He came to practice one day and we would bring him as our guest. We continue to keep that little family as a part of our extended family.”

Martinez was a freshman when Tristan and his family were adopted. She said that although she wasn’t too involved in everything because she was new, the adoption really touched her.

“It was really sad [when their mom passed] and I found myself being choked up even though I had never met her,” Martinez said. “It just shows how powerful things like that can be.”

Smentek said the projects have made more and more people asking for help from the group, and people appreciate what the girls do for them. Giving back to the community through different projects is something that the Tallenettes will continue to do. Borserine said the projects have not only impacted the community, but herself.

“Before [joining the] Tallenettes, I wasn’t really involved [in the community],” Borserine said. “It’s nice to know that you have a big group of friends and you can go and do good things for the community and have fun while you’re doing it. It’s not just by yourself. It’s a bunch of people who make a difference together.”

story by Layal Zalkout // staff writer