NFL-Hopefuls Give Back to Boys & Girls Club

Growing up, former USC running backs CJ Gable and Allen Bradford spent much of their free time at the Boys & Girls Clubs in their neighborhoods.  Today, just a week before they both hope to fulfill their lifelong dream of entering the NFL, they took some time away from the stress and excitement to volunteer with the Boys & Girls Club of Venice.

“I was out here all the time when I was growing up. This club gave me a place to go and kept me off the streets and out of trouble. It’s great to be here today giving back to the kids,” Gable said. 

The event, held at Mark Twain high school in Venice, was called “Venice Olympics," and was run by the club in partnership with Amgen volunteers.

“There’s a chance that there’s a kid here who could like CJ and I. They could go through this whole process, and this is where it can start for them. This club is very important," Bradford said.

The Boys & Girls Club of Venice' planned the event to send a positive message to the kids about living a healthy lifestyle.

“We are really trying to promote an active lifestyle," said Aileen Martinez, the club's director of marketing and development. "Childhood obesity is at an all-time high, and so many of the families in the area don’t have time to be active with our kids. Events like this are trying to change that.”

Both Bradford and Gable seconded that sentiment, saying nearly the exact same thing. “It’s spring break for these kids, meaning a lot of them could be sitting at home playing video games. So it’s great that they came out here to have fun and exercise with us," Gable said.

The day started with a relay race, where teams of kids took turns running, spinning around a bat, and then doing their best to run back to tag their next teammate. The site of kids stumbling right and left filled the field with laughter, and the fun and games were on.

From there, the kids split up, with half going with Bradford and Gable to play football while the rest ran three-legged races and other exercise based games.

Bradford said it’s important for the kids that players like Gable and him get involved with event like this. “Growing up playing football, I looked up to a lot of players, and I would have loved to have met them if I had the chance. So now that I’m in this position, I think it’s the least that I could do," he said.

The Boys & Girls Club of Venice runs events throughout the year. If you are interested in enrolling your child in the program, or in volunteering, you can contact Aileen Martinez at (310) 574-5053 or at aileen@bgcv.org.