MIAMI (July 29, 2016) – The FIU men's basketball team took a break from summer conditioning and classes to brighten the lives of patients at the Holtz Children's Hospital in Miami on back-to-back Saturday's, July 9 and 16.

The Panthers visited with sick children, played video and board games with them, sat bedside and read books, and interacted with parents. This is the third-consecutive year that the men's basketball program has partnered with the Holtz Children's Hospital, and it will continue the relationship during the season.

"At Holtz we have children of all ages going through all types of things, but the one thing they have in common is their desire to get better, their resilience to overcome their physical obstacles," said Beda Martinez-Willis, child life specialist at Holtz Children's Hospital. "When the FIU players come to visit they make them smile, laugh, play and renew their strength to keep on going."

"This is the third year in a row that Holtz Hospital has allowed our program to come into their facility and work with the children there," said Jarrett Lockhart, director of basketball operations who coordinates the Basketball teams' community outreach. "The players really enjoy spending time with the kids at the hospital and making them smile in the midst of their current situations, whether it's playing video games, coloring, or reading at the patients' bedsides, the guys understand how important it is to give back, and they have thoroughly benefited from this experience."

"Any time you get the chance to give back to the community and see the other side and how people do stuff over there it's a gratifying opportunity," said sophomore forward Hassan Hussein, "It was really heartfelt to see the kids. They had a lot of bright faces and they were very excited, and it is just good to see the joy in them. I think little activities like that bring the best out in all of us.  We are all good character guys and we love to give back so just being able to interact; it's the simple things that make everyone happier and it was just a heartfelt and joyous experience."

Holtz Children's Hospital is one of the largest children's hospitals in the southeast United States. Located at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, we are known worldwide for our team of pediatric specialists experienced in treating children with all types of needs — from routine care to life-saving procedures. We also train the most pediatric physicians of any medical center in the southeastern United States.

To read more about the Holtz Children's Hospital, its philosophy and caring for a diverse population, and its points of pride, click on the link below.

http://www.jacksonhealth.org/holtz-about-us.asp

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and at the FIU Football Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is Worlds Ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.