Brad Smith returns for football camps at YSU

June 20, 2010 at 12:08a.m.

By JOE SCALZO

YOUNGSTOWN

New York Jets wide receiver Brad Smith has a lot of famous friends and could easily put on a football camp that emphasizes style and star power over substance.

But he chooses counselors he knows will give kids individual attention while offering things they can use on and off the field.

It just so happens those guys are pretty famous, too.

Smith, a Chaney High graduate, will join current and former NFL players Anthony Smith (a Hubbard High graduate now with the Jaguars), Mike McGlynn (Fitch, Eagles), Keilen Dykes (Chaney, Cardinals), Jeff Wilkins (Fitch, Rams) and Jerry Olsavsky (Chaney, Steelers) for his free “True Foundation” football camp for kids ages 8-14 on Saturday at YSU’s Stambaugh Stadium. The camp goes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“It’s more about giving kids the attention they deserve and giving them something they can take with them afterward,” said Smith, who will also offer a cheerleading camp for girls 8-14. “We have drills and instruction, of course, but we also sit the kids down and talk to them and share our experiences they don’t make the same mistakes I made or they made.”

Several former Chaney coaches and other college and pro football standouts will serve as instructors, with all coaches and players donating their time in order to keep the camp free. Smith has also benefited from having the video game company EA Sports (which designs the popular “Madden” games, among others) as his major sponsor.

He’s hoping to get 200 kids from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just the inner-city.

“We want them to experience people from different communities,” he said. “From Boardman to Poland to Youngstown to Warren, all mixing together.”

The foundation will hold its first “Bowling with the Stars” fundraiser from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday at Camelot Lanes in Boardman. Public admission is $15 per person (includes bowling, shoe rental, pizza and drinks), while tournament admission is $25. There will also be a silent auction and and a celebrity autograph session. Proceeds benefit the foundation.

“The Brad Smith True Foundation is designed to give the youth in Youngstown a message of hope,” Smith said. “We want to give them certain programs and help them develop career goals through seminars and concerts and serve as an encouragement for the kids around Youngstown.”

For details on the camp or the foundation, visit truefoundation16.org or e-mail truefoundation16@gmail.com.