MILWAUKEE, WI - The NFL season kickoff is more than 50 days away, but if you drive past North Division High School this week you may see a former Green Bay Packers back on the gridiron.
Gilbert Brown is hosting his annual All-Pro Football Camp teaching young athletes the fundamentals of football and a few life lessons along the way.
“A lot of these kids don’t have fathers at home," Gilbert Brown said. "And today I’m going to be your father for three days and I’m trying to leave a lasting impression on these kids."
That kind of lasting impression is something Masaeo Wooden said he knows all too well. Not too long ago Wooden was one of the young athletes running the field. Now he’s in high school volunteering as one of the camp coaches this year.
“It’s great," Wooden said. "I get to help the kids in the process and give them a little guidance that I learned when I was younger."
Wooden helped Brown kick off the 13th year of the three day camp early this morning with warm-ups and drills, but Brown said football is just a catalyst for engagement because his camp is about so much more.
“It ain’t just about football," Brown said. "We’re using football to get these kids to come together in the community."
The camp is made possible, in part, each year through a $1,000 donation from the AT&T Wisconsin Pioneers to the Gilbert Brown Foundation as well as donations from other local businesses.
