Camp Leon is a activity based life skill & team building training camp, plus a whole lot more, designed to reward middle school boys and girls for achieving academic and citizenship objectives set by their teachers and principals. This year's event took place June 2- 3, 2007 at Hoover High School.

At Camp Leon, current and retired professional athletes, as well as college and high school athletes, serve as mentors and camp leaders. The student-athletes participated in camp activities that promote health and wellness, teach teamwork and discipline, and build self-confidence. Our goal is to motivate them to succeed in school, strengthen their self-esteem, and inspire them to follow their dreams.

We hosted 150 campers on Saturday & 135 on Sunday. At our activity based team building stations students learn specific skills such as throwing, catching, blocking, etc; speed & conditioning specialist Tam Do taught student-athletes proper exercises to improve speed & conditioning and running techniques; 2 time Major League Baseball MVP, 7 time all-star Kevin Mitchell shared his tips on hitting and fielding. A team of Capoeira athletes, led by Mindinho exposed the students to this incredible form of Brazilian martial arts. As always, DJ Dale Dred provided music and entertainment throughout camp, offering encouragement and a lot of laughs to kids over the loud speaker while they ran around with the athletes!

Camp host Leon White is a San Diego native who graduated from Helix High School in 1981. He attended Brigham Young University and went on to become an All-Conference linebacker. Leon was selected as the most valuable player in BYU's 1984 Holiday Bowl victory over the University of Michigan, and was inducted into the Holiday Bowl Hall of Fame in 2001. In 1986, the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Leon, thus beginning his successful eight-year career in the National Football League, which included playing in the starting lineup of the 1989 Super Bowl. Leon decided to retire from professional football in order to spend more time with his family and be more involved in the community.

In 1999, he created Camp Leon in partnership with AFE and San Diego City Schools as a way of rewarding middle school students for their improvement in academics and citizenship. The goal was, and continues to be, to provide mentorship and encouragement for at-risk youth through interaction with mentors and participation in fun activities.

Contributions from local business sponsors make Camp Leon possible. If you are interested in sponsoring and/or volunteering at Camp Leon '07, which will be held June 7 - 8, 2006 at Hoover High School, please contact us.

Camp Leon Host

Leon White is a San Diego native who graduated from Helix High and attended Brigham Young University , where he was an All-Conference linebacker. Leon was selected as the most valuable player in BYU's 1984 Holiday Bowl victory over the University of Michigan , and was inducted into the Holiday Bowl Hall of Fame in 2001. In 1986, the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Leon , thus beginning his successful eight-year career in the National Football League, which included playing in the starting lineup of the 1989 Super Bowl. Leon decided to retire from professional football in order to spend more time with his family and be more involved in the community. In 1999, he created Camp Leon in partnership with AFE and San Diego City Schools .