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Organizers Bowled Over By Students' Donations

Tribune photo by JAY CONNER

The Bucs' Warrick Dunn speaks with students during an appearance at the Jackson Heights NFL Youth Education Town.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 22, 2009

TAMPA - It's prudent to recycle stuff like plastic bags and bottles, newspapers and aluminum cans. It's good for the environment.

So why not recycle youth sports equipment? How about books?

The NFL, as part of its blanket of pre-Super Bowl activities over Tampa, has an environmental program, part of which involves used sports equipment and books.

The project is simple: Students bring used or new books and sports equipment in good shape to their schools to be donated to schools and organizations serving needy children.

The donations were dropped off today at the Jackson Heights NFL Youth Education Town on East Lake Avenue.

All across the gymnasium floor were boxes of books and sports stuff – bicycle helmets, aluminum bats, footballs, soccer balls and even exercise equipment. In one corner, used bicycles huddled. Lots more than expected, said Susan Groh, who is in charge of the project for the NFL.

"Kids got new bikes for Christmas and brought their old ones here," she said.

The donations exceeded expectations and the number of schools with students collecting items doubled from last year, she said.

"It's about the giving; them knowing that they are helping other children," she said. "That's the real reward."

The project began in Atlanta at the 2000 Super Bowl. Last year, 50 schools participated.

"We thought that last year was great," Groh said. "We doubled that this year. We really didn't know what to expect. It's kind of like Christmas morning."

Traipsing through the crowd and navigating around the boxes were a dozen members of the Beta Club at the Guardian Angels Catholic School in Clearwater.

Some cradled bicycle helmets; others toted aluminum bats.

"We wanted to be involved," said Mariana Franz, 14.

She said the students collected 125 items. After dropping off the donations, they posed for a photo with Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn.

But they didn't participate in the project for that reason, said eighth-grader Stefan Delmas, 14.

"We're doing this," he grinned, "for the good of mankind."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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