C.H.A.M.P Camp Returns to Bay County

By |2018-08-14T10:10:34-06:00July 9th, 2014|News|

Read Original Article and Watch Video In 2010 Anthony Champ Kelly returned to his Alma Mater of Graceville High School for the Panhandle's first ever C.H.A.M.P Camp. Four years and over 200 kids later the camp made it's return Friday at Bozeman for day one of the two day annual camp. Close to 300 kids from ages 10 to 18 made the trip to Deane Bozeman school for the camp. The guys took part in various drills to start the day off capped off by some seven on seven action in the afternoon. Champ is a former Tiger and Kentucky stand-out, but his camp preaches more then just the fundamentals of football. It also stresses character, heart, attitude, motivation, and pride in hopes of making the kids better people along with football stars. Champ, who is happy to be back in his home state, is even more happy to give back to his local community. "I look forward every year, to get a chance to come back to this area and give back," said Kelly. "These kids grew up like I grew up, kids who go to the same places I went to, kids that face the same struggles so I'm always excited to come back here, and give back to this community, because this community helped me grow into the person that I am today." The 5th Annual C.H.A.M.P Camp wraps up Saturday at Bozeman.

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Fifth Annual C.H.A.M.P. Camp Opens at Bozeman

By |2018-08-14T10:10:35-06:00July 9th, 2014|News|

See Original Article and Watch Video Sand Hills, FL---This is the time of year when those with the knowledge are working to pass that knowledge along. Certainly Jackson County native and current Broncos executive Anthony "Champ" Kelly falls under that headline. For the 5th year in a row, Kelly, the Bronco's Assistant Director of Pro Personnel, is conducting his "C.H.A.M.P. Camp" in our area, this the second year at Bozeman. The camp allows kids between the ages of 10-18 to come in and get football instruction from Kelly, area coaches, and even current Rams linebacker Will Witherspoon, a Rutherford alum. These kids also given some life instruction, Champ Camp an acronym for Character, Heart, Attitude, Motivation, and Pride. Five years ago he started with about 40 kids participating. This year they're working with more than 350! So success on many levels for the Graceville alum! "What I like to tell people, you know we don't care about numbers. Our biggest thing is substance and we want these kids to come here, learn, work their tails off and be better when they leave than when they got here. So if we have five kids, we're gonna have 60 coaches coaching those five kids, so they're gonna be the best five kids in the state." "There's nothing like being at home, first of all. But to talk to these kids, these young men really about what it's gonna take to be succesful not just from this point, but to be succesful the rest of their lives. Not just about football, not just about where they, what they want to accomplish at this point of their lives, but how to do it all. That's a great thing." For [...]

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Graceville’s Kelly Giving Back Through C.H.A.M.P. Camp

By |2018-08-14T10:10:35-06:00July 9th, 2014|News|

  See Original Article and Watch Video   Sand Hills, FL---The 5th annual C.H.A.M.P. Camp ended Saturday over at Deane Bozeman School. The camp's namesake, though, holds a deeper meaning. C.H.A.M.P. stands for character, heart, attitude, motivation, pride. Yes, the kids work on the X's and O's of football, but camp founder, Gracville native, and Assistant Director of Pro Personnel for the Denver Bronocos Anthony "Champ" Kelly hopes to help his campers improve in those five key areas for growth off the field. That's why he provides the kids from 10 years old to 18 the best he can, bringing in NFL players who can tell and show the young guys how to be great like Steve McLendon of the Steelers and Rutherford alum and 12 year vet Will Witherspoon. That's why Champ brings in guests like FOX Sports 1 NFL Insider Mike Garafolo, so the campers can learn about keeping a strong persona in the media, and especially social media, getting a head start on brand building. That's all because Kelly only knows how to give a champion's effort into running C.H.A.M.P. Camp. "It's not something that we show up on June 27th and June 28th and it's done," says Kelly. "It's something that we work on for eight months during the entire year. But we don't take it likely and we're blessed to be able to give back. We only ask that these guys appreciate it, that they respect it, that they say thank you. And they do that." "Champ has a very busy schedule to be a part of a front office in the NFL, and to be doing all the things they do for 10, 11 months of the year," says [...]

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Wolfe Hosts Inaugural Summer Charity Bash

By |2018-08-14T10:10:35-06:00June 10th, 2014|News|

DENVER, Colo. – Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe hosted his first Colorado event to benefit the Wolfe Pack Foundation on Sunday afternoon.The Derek Wolfe Summer Charity Bash was hosted at The Island and included food, drinks, music, a silent auction and a sand volleyball tournament, featuring Broncos players. Though the event was a fun way to start the summer, the goal was to raise money to help underprivileged youth in Colorado.“Really I just want to help every aspect of these kids as far as being underprivileged and not having much,” Wolfe said at the event. “I want to help them in all the aspects of life. It touched my heart. There wasn’t a lot of things out there for me to do, it was just individual people that were helping me, so for me to have a foundation that helps all of those things, all those aspects – life skills, football, school, all the stuff - that’s kind of what I like." Funds from the event will help start the Foundation’s ELEVATE program, which will help underprivileged Denver youth by providing them with tutoring, ACT prep, life skill lessons and sport training. The program is a result of the Wolfe Pack Foundation teaming up with Champ Kelly’s foundation, Heart Power, Inc. Kelly, the Broncos' assistant director of pro personnel, said Wolfe has “a tremendous heart for underprivileged youth.” “We want to really affect these kids’ lives and just give them an opportunity that we didn’t have when we were growing up,” Kelly said. “I know Derek told his testimony. He took the ACT five times before he passed it and before he got into college. If there is one kid that we can help take [...]

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Parent Perspective: Kelly Blake

By |2018-08-14T10:10:35-06:00May 13th, 2014|News|

Elementary school teacher Kelly Blake stumbled upon C.H.A.M.P. Camp last summer and on a whim registered her 10-year old son, Benjamin, with an ironic hope that he would not have a good time. “I didn’t particularly want him in football, and thought if he went to this camp he would find out that it’s a lot of hard work and it help him realize it wasn’t really his thing. But it didn’t turn out that way…the first day I picked him up from the camp and he said it was so fantastic,” said Blake. “It was one of the highlights of his summer, that’s for sure,” she added. “He definitely wants to go to camp again this year.” Blake was drawn into a camp where her son got to spend two days being physically active and learning life skills, and it didn’t cost her a cent. “I had packed him a little cooler full of food and drinks and stuff and he didn’t have to use any of it because everything was provided—every drink he needed, all the food, everything,” Blake said. “I thought it was phenomenal.” Since she hadn’t paid for the camp, Blake was surprised to find current and former collegiate and NFL players, coaches, and respected community leaders leading the no-cost camp. “We really felt like he was getting the real deal,” she said. ”I think it really made an impact on Benjamin and I think he was really impressed with the camp.” Benjamin was interviewed by a local TV station after the camp and asked about his experience and what he learned. “On his little TV interview he said, ‘I used to worry about winning, but now I realize that’s not [...]

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C.H.A.M.P. Camp Coach Spotlight: Denver Broncos Safety David Bruton

By |2014-04-28T21:12:08-06:00April 28th, 2014|News|

David Bruton, AFC Champion Denver Broncos safety and special-teams captain, is one of numerous NFL players who have dedicated a portion of their offseason in the past to working with Heart Power, Inc. and various C.H.A.M.P. Camps. “[Heart Power, Inc. CEO] Champ [Kelly] knew that I had some connections with Kentucky, since I was born there. It was just a great way to link up, see my family, and see the other kids in Kentucky that grew up with a similar lifestyle as I did,” said Bruton. While the C.H.A.M.P. Camps aren’t quite as competitive as an NFL practice, Bruton says the professional athlete in him is hard to suppress, especially when he is coaching against teammates such as Pro-Bowl tight end Julius Thomas and fellow Broncos defender Chris Harris Jr. “As an NFL guy you love competition no matter what form it’s in—if it’s jumping jacks or what not. It’s just great to be at the camp and be competitive. The player-coaches get to be competitive along with the kids and it was an exciting experience and a lot of fun being in that atmosphere with the kids,” said Bruton. The 2013 special-teams captain is widely regarded as a leader in the Denver Broncos community, and is also recognized for his passion for being active in the communities that supported him throughout his youth and subsequent football career. During the 2011 NFL lockout, Bruton, who graduated from Notre Dame with degrees in political science, sociology, and a minor in Africano studies, returned to his former high school as substitute teacher. “We’re blessed to have the opportunity to be in the NFL,” Bruton said. “So to bless these kids in some way, shape, or fashion—whether [...]

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UK football notebook: Ex-Cat Kelly has Heart Power in right place with free camp

By |2018-08-14T10:10:35-06:00June 8th, 2013|News|

By Jennifer Smith — Herald-Leader Staff Writer Football camp was not an option for Champ Kelly. He grew up poor in the Florida panhandle, raised mostly by his grandparents as his young mother battled drug addiction and his father struggled to stay around. There were no football camps in Campbellton, Fla., population 200, give or take a dozen. "In order to even go to a camp, you had to travel 50 miles or so and then I couldn't afford to go to any of those," said Kelly, who eventually made his way to Lexington where he played football for the University of Kentucky. Kelly could never go to a youth football camp, so he's created a few of his own. Through his non-profit foundation, Heart Power, the UK graduate and his wife, Stephanie, are taking football camps to places that are close to their hearts, including the one they are putting on in Lexington at Henry Clay High School from June 21-22. It's one of three non-contact camps Heart Power is making available to children ages 10-17 in Denver (where Kelly now works in the front office of the Broncos), Lexington and Panama City, Fla. Special-needs children are welcome to attend the camp, Kelly said. "I always wanted to be able to host a camp that would bring quality coaches and teach football, but also stress life skills and make it affordable," Kelly said in a recent phone interview. "This is the first year we've been able to offer it completely free. It's a total blessing and a total testament to the sponsors we have and the staff." When Kelly started the camp a couple of years ago near his hometown in Florida, he worried [...]

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Denver Area Kids Learn Football, Life Skills at C.H.A.M.P Camp

By |2018-08-14T10:10:35-06:00June 7th, 2013|News|

Jun 7th, 2013 at 2:22 pm by Kim Constantinesco On Friday, Denver Broncos assistant director of pro personnel Anthony “Champ” Kelly put on his second annual C.H.A.M.P Camp at All City Stadium in Denver. The two-day camp, which emphasizes Character, Heart, Attitude, Motivation, and Pride, was free for kids 10-17 years-old. “When I was growing up, there weren’t camps like this in the city that I was born, and the camps that were a little further away, I couldn’t afford,” Kelly said. “I grew up wanting to learn how to be better and I didn’t have the opportunity, so I always told myself and told my wife that if we’re ever in the position where we can give back to the people who grew up like us, we would try to do it.” Now in charge of evaluating free agents, coordinating player workouts and visits, and scouting and compiling research for the Broncos, Kelly grew up in Campbellton, Florida, a small town just south of the Alabama border. He was raised by his grandparents and taught to always give his all. While the kids at C.H.A.M.P Camp went through non-contact position drills, Kelly made sure to highlight the real reason why they were there. “Winning is listening to your parents and doing what they tell you to do,” Kelly told his campers. “Winning is showing up at places on time. Winning is doing what’s right. Doing those things help you win at life and make you a better person.” C.H.A.M.P Camp is just one function of Kelly’s non-profit, Heart Power, Inc. The organization’s goal is to support youth and families, who are in search of positive, encouraging influences in their lives. “We stress football fundamentals [...]

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Kelly bringing “C.H.A.M.P. Camp” back to Panhandle

By |2018-08-14T10:10:35-06:00May 4th, 2013|News|

Posted: Saturday, May 4, 2013 3:33 pm by Dustin Kent Former Graceville Tigers football star Anthony “Champ” Kelly is bringing his “C.H.A.M.P. Camp” back to the Panhandle for a fourth consecutive year June 28-29 at Deane Bozeman High School in Panama City. The two-day instructional camp is being moved to Panama City after previously being held at Graceville High School in order to expand the camp’s appeal by centralizing its location, Kelly said Friday. “We wanted to stretch it to some other places in North Florida, and we thought (Panama City) would be a good area to reach out to,” he said. “We can still get the same kids we’ve attracted in the past from Graceville, but we can pick up some more Panama City kids and get some more Jackson County folks involved. It’s more convenient for us and it’s also allowing us to reach another demographic of kids. “We were contacted by some of those coaches (in the Panama City area) and they were excited about it. I think change is good and the vision for this camp was to move it around across North Florida and the Wiregrass and be as impactful as we could be.” It won’t be the last move for the event, Kelly said, mentioning Marianna and Dothan as possible future locations. “We’re not going to be static and just stay in one place,” he said. “We’re going to keep our options open.” Another big change in the camp this year is the cost – as in, there isn’t one – with it now completely free for the first time thanks to sponsorship funding. It’s a goal that Kelly, now Assistant Director of Pro Personnel with the NFL’s Denver [...]

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C.H.A.M.P. Camp bringing fun, mentors to local kids

By |2018-08-14T10:10:35-06:00May 31st, 2012|News|

By: Lauren Delgado | Jackson County Floridan Published: May 31, 2012 Updated: May 31, 2012 - 5:00 AM »  Comments | Post a Comment Anthony “Champ” Kelly, a Graceville High School graduate and now the assistant director of pro personnel for the Denver Broncos, knew he wanted to start some sort of camp for kids in his hometown and elsewhere. Growing up, football camps were far away, expensive or both. Nor did local professionals, like doctors or lawyers, speak to the high school students. Having someone to look up to was important then and he said it’s even more important now. “Trust me, kids these days see enough negative day in and day out,” Kelly said. “They see the drug dealers driving around in the best cars etc, so they feel like they can attain riches this way. If they never see or hear from doctors, lawyers, etc., then they will have a hard time feeling those positions are attainable.” Kelly said the community helped raise him and he wanted to give back. This year marks the third annual C.H.A.M.P., or Character, Heart, Attitude, Motivation and Pride, Camp in Graceville. Registration has opened for this June 29 and 30 event at Graceville High School. Campers between the ages of 10 and 17 are invited to register. Anyone who wants to be a coach can register as well. It costs $50 to enroll. Staff will teach campers football basics, going through each position with them. The group will run through drills like one-on-ones and some group work like pass skeleton and offensive/defensive line combination work, Kelly said. Besides football, guest speakers including local business leaders, former collegiate and NFL athletes will give their message about their life journey, [...]

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