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Community Corner

Dublin Dad Helps Kids Through Sport

Perry Tucker volunteers so that every student has the opportunity to play sports and learn.

Most days, Dublin resident Perry Tucker can be found on a sports field or in a classroom. The father of three is a dedicated volunteer in the community, so much so that his wife calls herself a “baseball widow.”

“When baseball [season] starts up, I’m gone three nights a week and all day Saturday,” said Tucker, a software engineer. “But she doesn’t mind.”

His wife has more than baseball to contend with. Along with umpiring and serving on the board of the Dublin Little League, Tucker is assistant coach of School’s freshman football team. He also helps out with basketball coaching, as well as volunteering with the high school’s Athletic Boosters, which helps provide financial support to the school’s athletic department.

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For Perry, 52, it’s the students that keep him coming back for more.

“The kids keep me young,” said Perry. “They can be really frustrating but it’s a lot fun to work them.”

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Perry started volunteering in the mid-1990s, when his oldest son played soccer at school.

“I happened to be a parent standing on the sidelines, and they said they needed help,” said Perry. “I didn’t know much, but I just did what I was told.”

Tucker said he has a great desire to make sure all kids have the chance to play a sport.  

“I want other children to have the same opportunities that my kids have had, that’s really why I do it,” he said.

Tucker said sports give kids something to focus on; without it, some might run into trouble. 

“I’m not saying sports is the answer to all problems, but it keeps them a little more structured,” he said.

Although sports is his primary focus, Tucker also offers his help in other areas. He oversees his football team’s study hall sessions, which always precede practice. For many years he also volunteered at Dublin Elementary School’s Fine Arts Mini Experience (FAME), a program that teaches students about various art forms. Tucker, a former trumpet player, taught students about composers and the different musical genres.

“I was one of the only dads there,” he said. “It was a lot of fun, the kids were great.”

Tucker said in addition to coaching, he’d like to volunteer more in areas outside of the sports world. But he's still figuring out where that will be.

“I have to wait to see what happens once my son graduates this year,” said Tucker.

But whatever he chooses to do next, coaching will always be on his volunteering agenda.

“I’ll probably continue to coach at the high school for as long as they’ll let me,” he said.

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