PHOTO GALLERY
WILMINGTON, Del. — Three Lincoln University football players visited Frederick Douglass Stubbs Elementary, 1100 North Pine Street, Wilmington, Del., to impart words of wisdom and stress the value of education to the inner city youths while also teaching them football fundamentals.
The three players and two coaches immediately received a warm reception by the local Boy Scouts troop. Abanishe began the afternoon with a lecture in the gym about the importance of getting an education, because, as he said, if they want to be college football players, they have to graduate high school.
"It was nice to be a positive influence," Williams said. "They were asking us for our autographs and looking up to us as role models."
Shortly afterward, Williams, Bethea and Mason led the kids, ages 7-10, through a series of pregame stretches and passing routes while administrators for Stubbs marveled at the level of attention the LU players and coaches received.
“I've never seen them this quiet and focused,” said one employee. “This is amazing.”
The same employee noted how important functions like this are toward the development of the boys. She said many of those in the group came from single-parent households without a father. Several of the children were being raised by their grandparents because the mother and father were not around.
“They really need this,” she said. “A lot of them don't have positive male role models. They see kids down the street or their brothers or cousins dealing drugs or drinking or going to jail. They see this and see they have options like college.”
Indeed, the impact was immediate; one boy when asked about his favorite football team answered Lincoln without hesitation, saying that one day he aspires to wear the orange and blue.
After the stretches, the group split into two with Bethea and Williams throwing passing routes while Mason, Abanishe and Pickens helped the receivers in their patterns. The afternoon culminated with a flag football scrimmage in the gym.
The afternoon was organized by Abanishe and his wife, Hart, who works at Stubbs and with the Boy Scouts in the afternoons. All involved felt it was a tremendous success and worth doing again. For the kids, they learned life lessons, while the players realized the impact they can have because of their athletic ability
Hart an OJ are already organizing another function. They hope to get the kids out to a football game next season.
|
