Dr. Matthew Lucas & Erica Wallace

Erica Wallace ’14, a special education major, has a particular passion for volunteering with children and disabilities. It started when she was in high school, teaching kids to play soccer. When she got to Longwood, she continued that work.

She found a kindred spirit in Dr. Matthew Lucas, professor of physical and health education. As an adult who suffers from epilepsy, Lucas knows firsthand the challenges of children with disabilities and has formed athletic leagues to get area children involved.

“He’s an inspiring person,” said Wallace. “He deals with a lot and is passionate about helping children with disabilities. His passion fuels mine and the other people who work with us on the athletic leagues. You can really see the difference that we are making.”

Lucas and Wallace operate a Little League baseball team for area children with disabilities. Called Buddy Ball, it doesn’t have the same rules as baseball, but it gets the kids out on the field and active. Last year, Wallace volunteered with the bowling league that Lucas started. Children with disabilities took to Lancer Lanes to learn bowling and compete in an athletic event. Wallace said the smiles on the children’s faces make it worthwhile.

“Being around her, you can tell that she really feels called to work with children with disabilities,” said Lucas. “She is gentle, kind, understanding and enthusiastic about helping them. You can tell it’s her passion.”

Wallace has helped Lucas begin to expand the Buddy Ball team to include children from across the region. Working with schools, she has led the outreach and recruiting effort. “I had a woman call from Buckingham County to say she had heard about the league from her child’s school,” said Lucas. “She had never known such a thing was available in the area and thought it would really help her child. That’s Erica’s hard work paying off.”