At C.H.A.M.P. Camps, Champ Kelly Gives Back to Youth
Read Pro Football Weekly's article about how Champ Kelly uses football to reach those who grew up like he did.
Champ Kelly Scouts the Right Path
Read about Champ Kelly and his CHAMP Camp in Pro Football Weekly's article.
6th C.H.A.M.P. Camp Kicks Off at Rutherford
By Scott Rossman SPRINGFIELD, FL. You hear athletes and celebrities talk often about "giving something back" to the communities that helped make them what they are. Well for Anthony Kelly, who grew up in Campbellton, and graduated Graceville, before moving on to the University of Kentucky and now the Chicago Bears front office, this is how he "gives back." Kelly hosting the 6th C.H.A.M.P. camp, a football clinic for area youngsters. Kelly brings in area coaches, like Rob Armstrong, who coached Anthony years ago at Graceville, and is now the head coach at Rutherford. That campus hosting the camp this time around. Nearly 300 kids signing up and taking part in the camp, and along with learning about football, get a dose of character, heart, attitude, motivation and pride, or CHAMP for short. "Obviously, it's always special for me to be able to come back home and do this camp. When I look at these kids, I see myself. So we're always grateful to be able to give back in a manner, to especially the kids in this area. I tell people all the time, it's the C.H.A.M.P. Camp, not Champ's Camp. So it has nothing to do with me and there's no more proof than to watch these kids out here, running around, getting better." Rutherford and Georgia alum, and NFL veteran Will Witherspoon, who played for the Panthers, Titans, Eagles and Rams, also on hand for the camp. This the second straight year Witherspoon has also been on hand to dole out some advice and instruction of his own.
Day two of C.H.A.M.P Camp in the books
By Brianna MacNaught Day two of C.H.A.M.P Camp in the books. The rain holding off again and allowing the young athletes to get instructions from former collegiate and even professional athletes. This football camp is not like the others. Not only do these plays get to sharpen their skills on the football field but the young athletes get to hear from professional athletes about life off of the field. The C.H.A.M.P camp continues to grow every year. The camp started with 50 kids at the first camp six years ago to nearly 200 young football players at this years camp. During day two of camp, Champ challenged me to get out there and show my skills. Now keep in mind I didn't want to embarrass the boys too much so I wasn't performing at my peak level. During lunch break the athletes got the chance to listen to NFL veteran and Rutherford alum, Will Witherspoon. Witherspoon said, "The kids need to be taught how to be champions and that they can be champions in many ways. "It's not just about what goes on on the field and too be back here at Rutherford of all places where I got my beginnings it's you know it's great."
Day one of C.H.A.M.P camp in the books
By Brianna MacNaught Day one of C.H.A.M.P camp in the books. More than 200 football players at Rutherford High School today getting some tips for on and off the field. Graceville alum Anthony Champ Kelly returning home for the sixth straight year to host C.H.A.M.P camp. C.H.A.M.P camp brings former collegiate and professional players from all over the country to teach young athletes skills on the football field. The camp also teaches the athletes how to behave once they take their helmets off. Anthony's nickname is Champ and C.H.A.M.P also stands for character, heart, attitude, motivation, and pride. This free camp has grown from fifty kids in its first year to more than 200 young athletes at this years camp. Champ said, "We want to be tangible to those kids so that they can do or be anything they set their minds to. So yeah, we teach football fundamentals but the most important things we stress to this kids is how to be successful off of the field, how to make appropriate decisions." Tomorrow I will be out there for day two of the camp and maybe show off a little of my skills as well.
Champ Camp Is Ready To Return To Bay County
By Chris Marchand One of the biggest football camps in our area. The C.H.A.M.P. camp is returning to the panhandle for the sixth straight year this weekend. The camp is held annually by Graceville graduate Anthony Champ Kelly. Champ is not only Kelly's nickname, but it stands for Character, Heart, Attitude, Motivation and Pride. Last years camp had record numbers, as close to three hundred kids from ten to 18 took part in the camp. Receiving one on one instruction from former collegiate and even professional players. The camp is not just about football skills, but life skills as well. This year's Champ Camp is at Rutherford high school. The price to attend is $25.00
C.H.A.M.P. Camp kicks off in Lexington
by Alex Risen LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) - The annual C.H.A.M.P. Camp kicked off again this morning out at Lexington Catholic. The event brings out the UK names you know. Guys like former head coach Guy Morriss, former receiver Derek Abney and some other recent grads. And of course there's also the host of it all... former football Cat turned NFL front office man Anthony "Champ" Kelly. Kelly's excited about his new job as the director of pro scouting with the Chicago Bears, but he's even more excited about teaching young kids the game of football... and about life. Hear from Kelly in the video and check out a quick glimpse of the camp as well! Original Story and Video WTVQ-TV, LLC
Elevate Students Prepare for Graduation
On December 20, a group of 22 Aurora Central student athletes will celebrate a first-ever milestone: they’ll be graduating from our newest program, Elevate. They’ll have finished a semester of after-school ACT prep, Saturday-morning athletic cross-training, and myriad “life-skills” presentations on everything from acing a job interview to identifying different leadership styles. And we at Heart Power will be celebrating the successful launch of that program and its future. The idea was simple: teach the same core principles of CHAMP Camps… in the classroom. We thought, “What if we were able to work with a group of dedicated student athletes throughout a semester? A whole school year? What could we help those kids accomplish?” Together, through Elevate, we offer high-value mentorship opportunities, leadership and life skills development, health and fitness training, and test preparation to ensure students the strongest platform possible from which to spring into their futures. Great things require great teams, so we got to work right away to identify our partners to make Elevate a reality. First, we had to identify the ideal partner school, and Aurora Central High School was exactly that. The school boasts a diverse student body: more than 65 percent of the student population identifies as Latino; 16 percent as black; 8 percent as Asian; and 6 percent as white. Seventy-one percent of students are eligible for free and reduced lunch – a common indicator of poverty in schools. Inclusiveness is at the heart of everything we do, which is why our program is free to students. When asked to write in an application essay why he wanted to participate in the Elevate program, one student in the 11th grade wrote: “I need this program is what I’m [...]
ELEVATE: A Step Above Learning Program Kicks Off
ELEVATE: A Step Above Learning Program Kicks off for Student Athletes at Aurora Central High School By: Holly Osborn AURORA (CO) 38 Junior and Senior studentathletes at Aurora Central High School began a custom program called ELEVATE last Tuesday evening. Hosted by the nonprofit Heart Power Inc., this firsttime program seeks to support underprivileged high school aged students in all aspects of college preparation. The program will include: ACT preparation, athletic training, mentorship and life skill lessons. As an initial introduction to the program the night included program directors giving students an introduction into schedules and expectations. Of the students accepted into the program, 4 were girls and 34 were boys. Sport involvement included: football, basketball, volleyball, wrestling and baseball. This program aims to get student athletes ready for college in all aspects and will have high expectations for its participants. Top quality tutoring and athletic training will be provided by The Princeton Review of Colorado and Xplosive. Weekly and monthly tracking reports will be kept to chart the progress of students in the program. Life skill lesson speakers like: Kami Carman (TV sports personality), John and Maricela Shukie (Forward Progress Athletics Consulting) and various Denver Broncos players are scheduled to talk on a variety of topics to students. Plans for a program like ELEVATE began with Heart Power Inc., many years ago. Heart Power President Champ Kelly spoke to the students about the importance and intensity of expectations for this program to the students. “It is a privilege and not a right for you to be a part of this program. This will change your life. You will be expected to complete community service and give back to the community as a part of [...]
C.H.A.M.P. Camp Wraps Up Saturday
Read Original Article and Watch Video For the fifth straight year, Graceville graduate Anthony "Champ" Kelly returned to the Panhandle for his annual C.H.A.M.P. Camp, and the second and final day wrapped up on Saturday, with record numbers participating. Close to 300 kids from 10-18 took part in this year's camp, receiving one on one instruction from former collegiate and even professional players. Several of Champ's former teammates at Graceville and at Kentucky also make the trip every year to help out with the camp, and not one of them gets paid for their time, and Champ grateful for everyone's hard work in making his dream a reality. "For me, I try to surround myself with high quality, high caliber guys," he said. "That's what we tell the kids. You are who you hang around. I hang around with top notch guys, and they are here wanting to give back and wanting to invest. That doesn't say a lot about me, it says a lot about them. They have the great hearts, they're willing to sacrifice their time and they're willing to invest in these kids." Those high caliber guys agree it's a no brainier to help Champ year after year. "Champ is a great person to be around," said Leonard Burress, who played with Champ at Kentucky and on an Arena Football League team. "I think the number one goal is to surround yourself with great people. Champ is one of those people that you want to surround yourself around." "Two years ago, Champ was helping me on the recruiting person," said Kobe McCrary, who is a four year camper turned coach for this year's C.H.A.M.P. Camp. "He's a good person. He called me [...]