Pine-Richland girls volleyball team, coach Seman dedicate match to helping youngster in need of kidney transplant

By: Jerin Steele
Sunday, October 17, 2021 | 11:01 AM

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First-year Pine-Richland girls volleyball coach Angela Seman is a huge believer in giving back to the community and wants to pass that trait on to her players.

At the same time she is helping a friend and her young son.

The Rams hosted an event for 4-year-old Daniel George, who is in need of a kidney transplant, during their Oct. 21 home match against North Allegheny. There was no admission for the event, but attendees were able to donate to the George family. All concession proceeds were donated to the George family, and there was a raffle with themed baskets. All in attendance were encouraged to wear black, because it is Daniel’s favorite color.

Daniel was diagnosed with Stage IV Chronic Kidney Disease as a baby and has been on dialysis since birth. He is the son of Mary Beth and Bobby George. Mary Beth was Seman’s strength coach when she was a volleyball player at Pitt.

“He is the most loving, caring 4-year-old that you’ll meet,” Seman said. “Everyone who meets Danny instantly falls in love with him because he’s such a joyous child. He’s been in and out of hospitals getting pricked and pried since he was born, but you would never know that from being around him. We’ve been doing fundraising while trying to find Danny a live donor and trying to get the funds for the surgery and medicine covered. I thought it would be a great idea to support them through the sport that I met them and make a night completely dedicated to Danny.”

Daniel will be an honorary captain for the Rams and can sit on the bench with the team during the match. Seman credited the Pine-Richland girls volleyball boosters with helping her plan the event. The boosters have been happy to help facilitate the night, including planning the baskets that will be raffled off.

“What we are going to do every year with Pine-Richland girls volleyball is choose an area of philanthropy to support, and this year it is about Daniel George and his family, ” Pine-Richland Girls Volleyball Booster president Tara Yanni said. “We’ll have different baskets and raffling off tickets for fans to win. There will be a Pine-Richland themed basket, a game night basket, a movie night basket, a lottery ticket basket and one more that’s still undecided. All of those proceeds will go to the George family.”

Seman’s philanthropic spirit was shaped during her time at Pitt under the guidance of coach Dan Fisher. She has taken some of those aspects of his style with her into coaching.

She said one of his mottoes was “Lead an interesting life.” It’s something she wants her players to do as well. She has preached having a family mentality to her players, and doing charity work is a good example of that.

“We are all about not being just volleyball players but also human beings,” Seman said. “I find it very important to not only humble the girls but let them know that they aren’t going to be remembered just as volleyball players. They will be remembered by the person they were and what they did outside of the sport they play. Instilling that in them at a younger age is really important to me.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Pine-Richland