/Portals/2/logos/__TFMF_kcbzzq5523o2ol2atp3r5snd_7a6a2df6-080c-4a2b-b6da-c5ce474bd9e3_0___Selected.jpg en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:33:49 GMT 15 By Kirsten Flickinger
There is a 6.8 billion population worldwide. Out of those 6.8 billion people, there are 925 million people who do not have enough food to eat yearly according to The Hunger Project. This year a local community got a special opportunity. Ten Revere High School football players volunteered to meet ten professional football players in order to raise money for a local charity. Every year the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank has fundraisers to raise money. The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank's "Taste of the NFL" committee, which is comprised of both professional staff members from the Foodbank and over 30 volunteer committee members, held the fundraiser at the Professional Football Hall of Fame. Professional Football Hall of Fame held the fundraiser, and this year’s goal was $135,000 to go towards hunger relief. Senior football players Tim Sustersic and Nick Kollert; juniors Mike Benson, Joe D’Amico, Jason Tretter, Zach Wilson and Roger Wolanski; and sophomores Jake Essy, Everett McGregor and Dillion Smith all took part in raising money for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. In doing so, they each had the chance to get to know Hall of Fame football player. D’Amico explained that while helping out at the fundraiser, there were certain objectives for the professional football players that needed to be accomplished. "The Hall of Fame players signed autographs and took pictures with the fundraiser’s guests," D’Amico said. The high school players had many jobs to do at the fundraiser. They escorted their selected players, recorded and tallied how many autographs their players signed, got them food and water, and kept them company. The "Taste of the NFL" auction committee coordinated auctions at the event. Autographs signed and donated by the players also raised money for the fundraiser. Wilson said that meeting the players and getting to know them was a memorable experience. He enjoyed getting to know the players and talking to them. "It was a lot of fun. The players really liked to talk to the high school players…. [They] joked around with us and told us stories," Wilson said. Professional football players who attended this fundraiser included Jim Taylor, Leroy Kelly, Randall McDaniel, Joe Delamielleure, Charlie Sanders, Rayfield Wright, Anthony Muñoz and Floyd Little. "I learned that the Hall of Famers were not selected but volunteered to give their time and money for the Foodbank, and all of them were the nicest guys," Sustersic said. Sustersic believes there was an importance of the Akron-Canton Foodbank fundraiser. "It raised a lot of money for people who were in need and it was a great experience for all the Revere football players that went," Sustersic said. Although the high school players all had different reasons for volunteering, they all had one focus: to raise money for a local charity. While the high school players had a different experience, they all believed it was good for the Akron-Canton area. "It was [nice] to meet some new people, have fun and give back a little to the community," Benson said. Athletic Director Bill Schumacher was also at the fundraiser representing Revere. He believed that the fundraiser was a good experience for the students. "It is a privilege to have what we have because some of us are not as fortunate as others, especially with the economy and people losing their jobs," Schumacher said. Many of the high school players agreed that this event has made a significant impact on their lives. Not only did they get to meet professional football players, but they also got to give back to their community. They all agree that they would volunteer for the food bank again. Many believe that there should be more local support events like this. Hunger is the number one health risk in the world as it beats out AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined. Although 925 million people go hungry yearly, RHS football players alongside NFL players fought against this worldwide problem. ]]> Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:26:54 GMT