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Youth football camp coming to USF campus

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By BRETT McMURPHY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 9, 2009

John Loose and his daughter, Lauren, attended as many fund raisers for pediatric brain tumor research and cancer services as possible. But still Loose wanted to do more.

"I wasn't bringing in any money," said Loose, the defensive coordinator at Lafayette College. "I was working at the [University of] Michigan camp one year, they had 1,500 campers, and I thought, 'I could do this for charity and give all the money for charity.' "

So Loose began Lauren's First and Goal Football Camp in 2004 at Lafayette College in honor of his daughter. Lauren, who turned 12 in February, was born with Neurofibromatosis Type I, a genetic disorder causing tumors to grow along nerves and can affect the development of non-nervous tissues such as bone and skins.

Lauren continues to battle an inoperable brain tumor and has been living with a diagnosis of multiple brain and spinal cord tumors, Neurofibromatosis and Evan's Syndrome since she was 9 months old.

In the six years since the camp's inception, Lauren's First and Goal has grown from 56 volunteer coaches and 300 campers to one of the largest one-day clinics in the nation with 1,733 campers attending last weekend. A second camp was added at the University of South Florida, which is in its second year. It will be held Sunday with Tampa Bay Bucs coach Raheem Morris as the featured speaker.

Several NFL players and ex-NFL players and several college coaches and players, including USF coaches and players, will be volunteer coaches for Sunday's event. Last year's event at USF drew more than 300 campers. Loose expects to double that amount on Sunday.

Loose said he decided to start a second camp in Florida because of the support from Special Needs Trust in Clearwater directed by Leo Govoni. Special Needs Trust and Govoni already have donated $120,000 and have pledged another $100,000, Loose said.

Registration for the USF camp is from 8-9:30 a.m. Sunday. It runs from 9:30-3:15 p.m. with Morris scheduled to speak during the lunch break. Cost is $25 and open to players entering grades 8-12.

Loose said anyone interested in attending should download a registration form and bring it to the camp, which will be held on the USF fields northeast of the Sun Dome.

For a registration form and information, go to: http://laurensfirstandgoal.org

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