Athletes Helping Kids

Our clinic is a four-hour non-contact clinic using football as a common thread. The clinic gives the children an opportunity to work-out and interact with NFL ball players. It also sets up a relationship of a NFL ball player who is throwing a ball to a child. After two or three tosses, the relationship is not that of an adult to a child, but rather that of teammates. Children are tired of being told what to do by adults, but advice from a teammate is something different.

The four main points that are stressed are:

1. anti-drug
2. anti-violence
3. importance of an education
4. no matter what you decide to do in life,
“make a difference”

Upon arrival the children are ushered into the bleachers, at which time we have the opening presentation. After the presentation, the children go onto the field and are lined up by size. At this time, we do some simple calisthenics in a “Simon Says” format. After this, the children are divided into groups by football positions. Those that have played football, go to the position that they played before. Those that want to play football, go to the position that they would like to play. The remaining children are put into a group by themselves.
Each group will work with a NFL ball player that has played that position. The topics that are covered during the clinic are:

1. Nutrition: It is better to eat a banana than a fried pie.
2. Working out and exercises: Understanding what you should do in relation to your body and your age.
3. Fundamentals to tricks of the trade: This is where the children get to hear not only the basics of the game, but the tricks that ball player’s have learned through many years of play.
4. Rap session: This is where all the children sit on the grass and talk about whatever the children want to talk about. At no time does the ball player take a firm position, where that position could come in conflict with parents, teachers, etc. The ball players always take the position “if that were me, I would think about doing this.” Basically, giving the children an alternative.
5. The running of offensive and defensive plays without tackling.
6. Throughout the clinic, the four main topics are always emphasized.

At the conclusion of the clinic, the children are then asked to go back to the bleachers at which time the ball player’s talk to them before sending them home.

Our clinic informs the children that there are alternatives to what they perceive as their life's reality.