Welker to conduct football clinic

Published: June 24, 2007

NFL player and former Heritage Hall star Wes Welker will conduct a football clinic to benefit at-risk youths ages 5 to 12 years old today at Heritage Hall High School.

Welker's "83 Foundation” football clinic will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and a picnic for the participants will follow. Sarah Welker, a director of the "83 Foundation” and Welker's sister-in-law, expects more than 300 children to attend the clinic. More than 100 volunteers will help run the event.

"A lot of the kids who will be at the clinic are on the streets,” Sarah Welker said. "Our main goal is to help get them off the streets, get them away from gang-related activity and help them become responsible citizens in the community.”

The "83 Foundation” is a not-for-profit organization which supports at-risk youths through athletics to encourage Christian-based character development. The foundation is already involved in developing and/or refurbishing several football fields in the Oklahoma City area, and it is sponsoring a youth football league for athletes who otherwise would not have the opportunity to play.

"My brother (Lee) and sister-in-law are both teachers and we've been talking about stuff we could do,” said Welker, a receiver/kick returner for the New England Patriots and a 2000 Heritage Hall graduate. "This seemed like a good way to help out — put on the clinic, upgrade the fields the kids have to play on, provide some uniforms and pads and get this league rolling. It could really be a positive for the kids.”

Welker is holding the clinic, which is free to the participants thanks to sponsorships from donations, for the second year in a row and expects it to be an annual event. The "83 Foundation” is also raising funds for its projects by raffling off an all-inclusive trip to Boston. The trip includes airfare, hotel, two tickets to a New England Patriots game and dinner with Welker. The raffle is being held at www.netraffle.org.

By Justin Harper