Syracuse Athletics Host Second Youth Impact Program

I've got nothing snarky for this one. It's just some plain-old good stuff.

Syracuse University athletics will host the second Youth Impact Program (YIP) in July at the Lampe Athletics Complex. The camp made up of sixth, seventh and eighth grade boys in the local middle schools of Syracuse will be drawing these "at-risk" young men from the Ed Smith School, Clary Middle School, H.W. Smith School and Frazer Middle School, among others, and will be held July 5 to 29, 2011. The athletics department held its first YIP program in July 2010.

We've heard time and time again about the kind of program that Doug Marrone runs as the head coach of Syracuse Football. Add this to the list.

"We teach our players that it’s a privilege to play the sport of football, and as we excel in the sport of football we make sure that our players understand that it doesn’t bring us any more entitlement, but what it does is bring us a greater sense of responsibility to give back," Marrone said. "We talk to our players about being leaders in the classroom and leaders in the community. We are doing that here at Syracuse University and we need to pass that along to the younger kids. It’s difficult for these young men today."

Big kudos go out to Ollie Haney, who will be the assistant to the director, as well as his teammates, Lewellyn Coker, Dyshawn Davis, Jaston George, Deon Goggins, Prince-Tyson Gulley, Sean Hickey, Chandler Jones, Nick Lepak, Keon Lyn, Phillip Thomas, Shamarko Thomas and Jeremi Wilkes, who will all be working with the program as well.

And a special shoutout to Phil Thomas for a specific, feel-good story courtesy of Nolan Dubs.

One day, when Phillips was on his way to help mentor and coach a group of 10-to 12-year-old boys from Syracuse’s inner city, coaches saw him carrying two boxes.

When asked what he had, Thomas, a product of one of Miami’s tougher neighborhoods, said he’d gone up to SU’s Skytop apartments where he collected shoes for some of the boys because they didn’t have the proper footwear.

Check out the Youth Impact Program website to learn more.