Athletes for Education and San Diego City Schools held their 9th annual Camp Leon at Hoover High School on June 7th and 8th. The activity based life skills and team-building training camp is designed to reward 7th and 8th graders for achieving academic and citizenship objectives set by their teachers and principals.
Current and retired professional athletes served as mentors and camp leaders with the ultimate goal of motivating the middle-school students to succeed in school, strengthen their self-esteem, and inspire them to follow their dreams. They were joined by college and high-school student-athletes who participated in camp activities as volunteers that promoted health and wellness, taught teamwork and discipline, and encouraged self-confidence.
This year camp host Leon White along with current SD Charger Tra Battle, retired NFL stars Karl Wilson, Lonny Mitchell, Darren Carrington, and Brazilian Martial Arts Contra-Mestre Mindinho (Raphael Cunha) mentored 165 students from Albert Einstein, Bell, Challenger, DePortola, Horace Mann, Gompers, and John Muir Middle Schools on Saturday. They were also joined by students from Joyner Microsociety and Keiller Leadership Academy.
The 105 students that attended Sunday's camp were mentored by current Chargers Tra Battle & Jacques Cesaire, & retired NFL stars Leon White, Karl Wilson, Lonny Mitchell, and Brazilian martialists Contra-Mestre Mindinho (Raphael Cunha). The Sunday attendees were from Clark Middle School, Farb Middle School, Licensed Children's Institute (LCI), Prison Fellowship, and San Diego Cooperative Charter School.
The generosity of local business sponsors, as well as the efforts of our dedicated volunteers make Camp Leon possible. This year, special thanks to camp host Reyonlda Contracting, Inc, and Camp Sponsors Frito Lay, Oggi's Pizza for providing lunch for the students on both days, The Shores Restaurant (and Chef Augie Saucedo) for donating lunch for the athletes on Saturday and Gordon Biersch (and Andrew Vick) for donating lunch for the athletes on Sunday.
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 NFL, 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 partnered with AFE and San Diego City Schools to create Camp Leon.
Athletes for Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of current and former professional athletes, entertainers, business and community leaders who serve as mentors for our youth. AFE hosts special events and fundraisers to benefit community youth programs and provides mentorship programs throughout San Diego. AFE's objective is to encourage youth to be creative, build bridges instead of walls, and dare to dream.
For information on how to become a Host, Sponsor & volunteer for Camp Leon ‘09 June 6 th , 2009, please contact us at (619) 583-4955 or AFE85@cox.net.
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 .
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