Pro athletes Hairston, Brown return to Naperville
Eleven years into his major league baseball career, Jerry Hairston, Jr. achieved his lifelong goal and one of the proudest moments of his life, winning the World Series as a member of the New York Yankees.
Friday afternoon, Hairston and NFL running back Chris Brown visited their alma matter, Naperville North High School, to discuss their Next Level Foundation and tell students they, too, can achieve their dreams if they keep working at them.
Brown, a 1999 North graduate, started the foundation a few years ago to educate and empower students to excel in athletics and academics by "bridging the gap" between students of varying socioeconomic statuses, their parents, families, communities and dreams.
Naperville Unit District 203 is currently discussing opportunities for the Next Level Foundation to partner with the Naperville Education Foundation to help fund the after school Study Skills Academy program.
"I think it's extremely important to get back and see the kids and chat them up," said Hairston, a 1995 North graduate. "I'm fortunate to be in a position to help give kids an opportunity to excel academically, athletically and in the arts. Different kids have different goals in life, different passions so we try to help underprivileged kids get the opportunities every kid should have."
The athletes also spoke to a late-afternoon North business class briefly about agents, marketing, advertising, contracts and money management but the topic quickly turned to their lives in their respective fields.
Brown, a second-string running back for the Houston Texans, told students he is constantly ready and prepared to step in whenever he's needed. As for Hairston, he said it's impossible for hecklers, especially at rival Red Sox Fenway Park, to get under his skin unless they hit one touchy subject.
"Tell me whatever you want or call me whatever you want but don't talk about my mother," he said. "That's the only thing I won't tolerate."
Senior Michael Althoff, sitting front and center for the presentation, enjoyed getting the behind-the-scenes info and chatting with the athletes.
"That was awesome because we got to see that they were just like us here a few years ago," Althoff said. "They're really cool."