Children battling illnesses who are receiving treatment at the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital will receive quite a treat this week.

Tennessee football players again this week will carry “beads of courage” to honor local children battling illnesses, and those children will receive beads carried by the Vols players.

Players wrote words of encouragement to the children, and those notes will be attached to a Tennessee bead.

Supporting local children battling illnesses has been an ongoing effort for the Vols.

In 2003, they picked up a program that started at Phoenix Children’s Hospital where young patients received a strand to add a bead each time they had a specific treatment, or an overnight hospital stay.

There are ongoing stories about college football players and teams coming together to support local supporters battling various ailments.

Just this season, Purdue student Tyler Trent was featured on ESPN for his inspiring battle against cancer, and his connection with the Boilermaker football team. After Purdue upset Ohio State, Trent was front and center with the first words to the team in the locker room after the game.

In recent years, it’s become a tradition for players and fans at Iowa games to wave to the children next door at the children’s hospital.