Students at Sulphur Springs K-8 practice football drills with former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Jerry Bell as part of NFL Players Week with Fit and Fun at the Y!
Students at afterschool programs around Tampa had the chance to hear from former NFL players and a current Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach about healthy eating, the importance of academics and respecting caregivers. The players also interacted with students and answered questions about playing in the NFL and the steps they took to join the league.
The highlight for many was to learn a few drills and toss the football with the players.
“There are so many negative things that can influence [the students] so why not use your position and your platform to get them to do the right thing?" says Maurice Stovall, former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and Program Director with the Y.
Maurice and colleagues organized the NFL players’ visits as a way to help encourage healthy habits, demonstrate the need to stay in school and respect authority figures. Players shared their personal stories of growing up, and how education was a big factor in their success.
Fit and Fun at the Y is a curriculum-based program that focuses on fitness and nutrition education, increasing physical activity levels and preventing childhood obesity for children enrolled in the YMCA afterschool programs. Through grants and a partnership with the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, this program is provided free to kids and their families.