Student athletes from across Husker Athletics joined Taylor Christopulos and Sam Phillips — captains of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Dream on 3 team — in creating the ultimate athletics experience for Emma, a Millard South student with a life-altering condition.
Already co-captains for Husker Men’s Gymnastics, Christopulos and Phillips stepped up to be co-captains of an all-new Husker team with a very special goal: fulfilling Emma’s sports dreams through the Dream on 3 program.
“Dream on 3 is a nonprofit that helps kids with life-altering conditions achieve their sports dreams,” Christopulos said of the nationwide organization. “Our goal is to give Emma a team atmosphere, be there to support her, plan regular sports activities and give her a whole dream sports experience.”
Leading the first-ever Dream on 3 team at Nebraska U, Phillips, Christopulos and a squad of fellow Husker athletes are providing Emma with monthly team activities and hangouts that celebrate her love for athletics and commitment to making athletics accessible for everyone.
“Emma’s very involved in her high school sports community and the Special Olympics community,” Phillips said. “She serves on the Youth Special Olympics board where she helps promote unified sports, and she’s just a huge advocate for that community in general.”
“She’s really into a lot of different sports,” Christopulos said. “She’s a bowler, golfer, weightlifter — we’re actually going to her flag football game this Saturday.”
The team is doing a lot more than just attending Emma’s athletic events. So far, the Husker Dream on 3 team has picked up Emma from her home in Omaha in a limo and brought her down to Lincoln for a football game, organized a trip to Top Golf and surprised her with a reveal party in the Bob Devaney Sports Center that kicked off Emma’s Dream on 3 season.
And though the Huskers on the team fundraised nearly $10,000 over the summer to pay for Emma’s experience throughout the year, Phillips and Christopulos said they continue to find more community support wherever they go.
“Top Golf supplied food, baked her a cake and did this huge welcome with sparklers — none of that was pre-planned. Muchachos has donated food for 40 people, a Husker gear store donated clothes,” Phillips said. “Wherever we go, the support follows.”
“It’s so cool to see,” Christopulos said. “It says a lot about the Nebraska community how much people are willing to give.”
