Ferrum, VA, December 19, 2021 — Christmas cheer is in the air as groups of Panthers are helping families by giving back to the community. Operation Christmas Child is one of many fundraisers throughout the year at Ferrum College that student clubs and teams organize to support community needs. The Angel Tree project that Defensive Backs Coach AJ Hopke and his players started has grown for three years, with other teams joining in.
Back in November 2023, as the football season came to a close, Hopke asked the defensive backs to find a charity they wanted to help. He proposed raising money as a team to help children who are less fortunate and might not get to experience Christmas gifts. Since then, the defensive back group has continued the project every year before fall final exams start.
The Salvation Army sponsors the Angel Tree program, to give families who can’t afford gifts the opportunity to have a better Christmas. Families can register their children and submit wish lists through Angel Tree. Anyone can sponsor children on the Salvation Army website or at a local Angel Tree to help give the children Christmas gifts. Ferrum Elementary School and the Faith Fellowship Church host the Angel Trees where the defensive backs have contributed for three years.
One of the student athletes collects money from players and parents via Cash App because it can be tracked and transferred to their bank account or sent to Hopke. As the adult who can safely keep the money in a secure area, Hopke collects any cash donations. After they have the funds and find a date when everyone is free, they go to Walmart together to buy the children’s wish lists.
“We meet like we would for a position meeting. We go through every child’s wish list and group them with the players who best match the kids’ interests,” Hopke explained.
In 2025, three other teams participated for the first time in the project Hopke calls Operation Christmas Child. At Ferrum Elementary, men’s volleyball took three wish lists, women’s basketball took one, and men’s baseball took three. The defensive backs took the other four, with plans for any additional funds to go to Faith Fellowship Church. This increased the number of children served in the previous years, and the football team has raised enough money to spend about $120 for each child.
Hopke is coaching young men who are about to take the next step in their lives and wants to teach them lessons outside of football. When he arrived in 2023, a part of him wanted these young men to understand something bigger than themselves. He implemented a two-charity event system, with each defensive back required to participate in two charity events, one as a group and one when they go back home. In the first year Hopke suggested a few ideas, and the Angel Tree program appealed to the players the most.
Hopke’s own childhood has shaped him into who he is today. “I was a kid who grew up a little less fortunate. I didn’t necessarily need Angel Tree, but Christmas wasn’t this big of a deal for a while in my life. It kind of hits home from that standpoint of helping the children out who are less fortunate,” said Hopke.
In the first two years, Hopke contacted the elementary school to start the project, but this year, when Ferrum Elementary reached out to him before hearing from him, the relationship between the school and Ferrum Football seemed to be building. Over the three years, the project has grown bigger and stronger among the defensive backs and others, turning into a Ferrum Athletics tradition.
Emotions are shown, expressed, and worn differently for each individual. “I’m a pretty emotional guy; I wear my emotions. It’s really emotional for me for a multitude of reasons. One, because one of the biggest gifts we can give is the gift of love—giving to something bigger than yourself, your personal name, and Ferrum Football,” Hopke expressed.
The day of purchasing and wrapping the gifts is a special time for Hopke. “There’s a lot of joy, fun, and laughter. It’s fun giving these young men the kids’ wish list and telling them this is what we have to get. I tell them to imagine if they were in this kid’s shoes, this is something you would really be excited about,” said Hopke.
Gift wrapping is something Hopke takes very seriously because football takes up a lot of family time. “During Christmas time, I take a lot of pride in wrapping gifts for my family because so much of my time goes into this program,” he said.
Coaches can have lasting impacts on their players and often become role models. “All the coaches know, it’s more than just teaching strategies and schemes. We all understand winning is the most important thing, but teaching these life skills and sharing the memories is just as important,” said Hopke.
Sometimes one player on a team can get the ball rolling, and that player was Cody Gibson ‘24, who stood in front of the team to explain what Operation Christmas Child is to the team. “This is something that was first started when I got here, and the alumni who wanted to start were guys like Cody Gibson, Avion Smith, and Denon Wilson,” said Hopke. “They still contribute to this. Hopefully, it’s one of those things that creates a lasting impact. I’m very thankful for those young men who wanted to start this, and what it’s grown to.”
President Mirta Martin said, “Ferrum College is at its best when our students live our mission beyond the classroom, and this ongoing commitment to the Angel Tree program is a beautiful example. I am incredibly proud and grateful for our football students and alumni for their generosity and grateful for Coach Hopke’s steady leadership in modeling service, empathy, and responsibility to others. This is Not Self, But Others at its best.”
College creates so many memories—some challenging, others good, but almost everyone will have a highlight of their college experience.
“It’s such a blessing to be able to give back to the community —the fact that we raise money from the players and our parents. Being able to put it to a good cause is one of the highlights of my career at Ferrum College,” said senior Ian Ashworth.
Wish lists are everyday things around the holiday season, regardless of age, but getting the gifts for others is a different type of joy. “It is an amazing thing to get a wish list from the children and be able to go out and get what they want—knowing that on Christmas morning, we are making a difference in a kid’s life,” said Ashworth.
