Football clinic provides day of fun for two organizations

When Giant Steps student Andy Homer saw his personalized football jersey in St. Charles North senior football player Chris Toohey's hands, he grabbed it and quickly put it on with a smile across his face.

The two buddies then went to participate in one of the eight stations set up at the Tri-City Youth Football Association's sixth annual football clinic on Tuesday, July 12, in St. Charles.

Giant Steps is a Lisle-based, therapeutic day school focused on providing education, therapeutic and recreational programs for students from elementary school to high school who have autism spectrum disorders as well as their families and the community.

Andy was one of Giant Steps' 160 students who participated in the football clinic the Tri-City Youth Football Association hosted. Each student was paired up with a buddy from the association as well as with a football player from St. Charles North High School, St. Charles East High School, Burlington Central High School, Geneva High School or Marmion Academy.

They also received a jersey with their first name on it and the number six, representing the number of years the association and Giants Steps have teamed up to organize the clinic.

“I think it's just really cool to be giving someone an experience that they otherwise wouldn't be getting,” Toohey said. “Coming from a high school where people are very fortunate, it's really humbling to see people who aren't able to have the exact experience you have, so I think it puts a lot of things into perspective.”

During the clinic, Downers Grove resident and Giant Steps staff member Alyse Suffield worked with Andy, who said he loved all the games and stations.

“Andy is great. He is super outgoing. He can be very talkative at times. He's always willing to try things even though he doesn't necessarily think he likes it,” Suffield said.

The Tri-City Youth Football Association approached Giant Steps about starting the football clinic.

“We were trying to figure out a way for our kids to give back. We ran into Giant Steps, met with them and realized it was a perfect fit for them and for us,” said Joe Ninni, president of the football association's board of directors. “We can go on and on for days about football, but this is the proudest day as a president, for me. It's watching these boys grow into young men and doing things like this that you just never forget.”