For any coach, making your impact felt on the court is part of your job. However, for Oklahoma volleyball assistant coach Jake Barreau, his impact has been felt far beyond that.
After joining Lindsey Gray-Walton's staff in January 2018, Barreau reached out to OU Athletics' community relations office in search of a way to volunteer in the Norman community. He stumbled upon Among Friends, an activity center in Norman that catered to adults with disabilities.
Barreau on the sidelines at the Colorado State Invitational.
"I just reached out one day and asked if there was somewhere local we could go spend an afternoon and volunteer," Barreau said. "We had no clue what they did or what to expect."
Barreau and his husband Hunter Bishop quickly became regulars at Among Friends. During his first visit to the center he was able to take part in their workout time and even teach them some volleyball skills. Shortly after that, Barreau and Bishop's roles roles quickly escalated from daily volunteers to something much bigger.
"We've grown a relationship with them," Barreau said. "My husband and I are both on the board of directors, I'll be the president of the board of directors this next year and my husband actually works there full-time now, so he's there Monday to Friday nine-to-five as their programs manager."
Among Friends provides a community of support to the adults they serve every day and an opportunity for the community to be apart of something bigger than themselves.
The mission of Among Friends is "to provide a safe and friendly place for adults with additional needs and disabilities for fun, learning, and friendships; offering opportunities and hope for a better tomorrow."
Perhaps the greatest service of Among Friends is simply giving these adults a place to call home during the day. Through his volunteering, Barreau is fulfilling a need that he feels is clearly lacking in the community.
"It is hugely important," Barreau said. "Going into it we didn't realize how big of a need it is in the Norman area. These adults, once they age out of their high school system, a lot of them just don't have anywhere to be throughout the day or somewhere to be looking after them."
Their efforts, among other things, aim to acclimate the adults to everyday life, whether that's teaching money management skills or having them help out in the kitchen.
"Hunter feels like he gets to help them with things that really affect their day to day," Barreau said of his husband's work at the center. "They are adults and they need to be learning those types of skills."
Barreau and Bishop have found that their work, as it impacts others, has also impacted themselves emotionally. The welcoming nature of the adults they've met has created something of a familial bond between them and those they serve.
"Everyone knows you name, everyone asks how the volleyball team is doing" Barreau said. "It feels like an extension of our family, almost."
"I should be giving my time to others when I can."
This family has extended into his OU family, as well. Through Barreau and Bishop's involvement, the team has also gotten the chance to meet and spend time with the group from Among Friends.
"They loved it," Barreau said of the group spending time with the team. "We have a pretty unique group of really caring individuals that spend a lot of their time giving to others. It was important for me and the group just to get out and be with [the team]." The Sooners hosted a volleyball clinic for Among Friends prior to the Crimson vs. Cream scrimmage in August.
Barreau hopes by dedicating his time to giving back to the community he can inspire others to do the same. More than that, he sees his platform as a collegiate coach as an opportunity to get more people involved.
"Once you find something that you really connect with, it doesn't feel like you're going out of your way to do something," Barreau said. "It's part of your routine."
With the OU volleyball season well underway, Barreau has continued his commitment to the center, all while helping lead the Sooners to their 800th program win, as well as remaining undefeated at home this season and earning six wins over top 100 teams in 2019.
"How blessed am I to get to come to work everyday, coach volleyball and be with such an awesome group of people," Barreau said. "I should be giving my time to others when I can."
