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 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 [...]

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 [...]

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.

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 [...]

  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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]