The Baltimore Ravens held an NFL Play 60 football clinic to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month on Monday. The event was held at Bonvegna Field in Baltimore. There were 200 predominantly Hispanic children, ages 5-11 in attendance. They got to learn about the fundamentals of football from some of the Ravens players and local coaches. Ravens cheerleaders along with the team mascot, Poe were on hand and encouraged the campers as festive music played in the background.
All participants in the Hispanic Heritage Football Clinic were pre-registered through Education-Based Latino Outreach (EBLO) and Centro de la Comunidad (Centro), two organizations focused on supporting the Hispanic population in Baltimore and its surrounding areas. There were five Ravens players on hand. Pro Player Insiders caught up with them and they shared what it means to them to be able to do an event that helps the community.
Kamar Aiken: I grew up kind of in the same environment as a lot of these young kids. I never got the chance to have NFL players come back and spend time with me. I’m blessed enough to now be in a position to give back and do it for them. I am happy and excited to be able to do so. I tell them, we always make mistakes but we have to take it day by day. It’s important to learn from mistakes and to not make the same ones over and over again. A lot of people get distracted about the negative things that are going on in the NFL and some of the big articles, but there are a lot of good things going on in the NFL. We have a lot of teams that do so much good things like this in the community and it’s important that we keep on doing these things to show that we want to help the community.
Terrence Brooks: It’s good to get out in the community and interact with the people who are looking up to you every day. It’s great to get out here and play with these kids and give them something to look forward to. We can also teach them about football. I love this city. The fans are great, they are loyal and it’s great to have them come out and cheer for us each week. I tell the kids to surround themselves with great people that will encourage them. They need to find someone to look up to that will guide them in the right direction and lead them towards success.
C.J. Mosley: For me it’s all about giving back. I want to show the community that I care and that I want to be a part of making things right here in Baltimore. This lets them know that even though we are in the NFL, we don’t think too much of ourselves to come out and show our support to them. It inspired me to see guys in the NFL that played in the same parks that I played at. It allows kids to see that there is a bigger role model but we are kids at heart too. Getting out here and playing with them, it’s fun to be able to brighten their day. It’s a great atmosphere here. Everywhere I go, it’s all Ravens.
Mike Campanaro: It’s great just talking to the kids, asking if they played little league and hearing them mention teams that I remember when I was little. Being back in the Baltimore community is great. This is the community that I’ve been around since I was young. I tell the kids to keep working hard and find someone who is positive in their life. I tell them to stay positive. Times will get tough but if you stay positive and keep working hard, things will workout. There’s a lot going on in the NFL, so it’s big to show these young kids the right way to do things.
Anthony Levine: It means a lot to me because when I was a kid, I didn’t have the opportunity to be able to be around a professional athlete. I am having just as much fun as they are! I talk to them and tell them to put themselves in someone else’s shoes before they do something wrong to them. I try to help them understand that a hard work ethic is important, to keep working and keep pushing forward. Everybody is different, everyone has their own morals and own goals. Us coming out here shows that not everyone is the same. The things in the news creates stereotypes of NFL players. Coming out here shows that they are guys in the NFL that want to help out in the community.
The event was a huge success. The parents were very thankful to the Ravens and the local coaches that came out to work with their children. There were young boys and girls that took part in the activities. It was very clear that they had a great time and enjoyed getting the chance to interact with the guys that they watch play football on Sundays.
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