The St. Mary’s County Human Relations Commission Saturday honored a number of community volunteers at a breakfast at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center. And the volunteer spirit was recognized by the event’s guest speaker, St. Mary’s College of Maryland Basketball Coach Chris Harney.

Harney’s team is ranked number two this year in the country after a trip to the final four in the NCAA Division III. Harney was introduced by Kelsey Bush, the commission liaison with county government. Bush met Harney in 1997 when they both were students. Bush said, “The basketball team was an afterthought for a while.” But in the last five years under Harney’s leadership the team has won more than 20 games every year.

Harney said he was introduced while a student to local volunteerism with Christmas in April. “It left a lasting impression on me and changed my life forever,” he said of the experience. He added, “St. Mary’s County has paid me back with life experiences.”

The coach said his basketball players have embraced the same volunteer spirit. He told a story of the players volunteering with Mike Schwartz of Mike’s Bikes in his annual turkey drive and finding a home without electricity. They came back to the coach and insisted that the family be helped. “This was a special moment,” he said.

That teamwork and perseverance took a team with talent that wasn’t great, he said, and propelled them to last year’s 27-4 record. “It was a team that had tremendous heart,” he observed. “I have the greatest job in the world working with then” Harney said of his players, many of whom have been recruited from the Baltimore area.

Harney said he was influenced by his father, a first generation American who worked as a janitor but who always helped fix things in his neighborhood.

He has three daughters and said one on her 10th birthday got a group of her friends to help collect food for a food pantry. “I was a very proud father that day.” He boasted.

During the breakfast volunteer awards were handed out to:

·         Janice Walthour, nominated by the St. Mary’s County Branch of the NAACP

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