Catholic High School graduate and NFL Pro Josh Sitton teamed up with Studer Community Development to bring ProCamp to Pensacola and low-income children.

The three-hour camp will teach area youth in grades 1-8 the fundamentals of football, provide interaction with Sitton, and offer exclusive souvenirs to camp attendees. The camp was at Sitton’s alma mater at 3043 W. Scott St., in Pensacola.

This is the one of several camps local pros like Sitton have held in the Pensacola area.

Sponsored by Studer Community Development, the camp organizers partnered with the Southern Youth Sports Association to provide scholarships to 50 children from low-income families who might otherwise be unable to attend the camp.

This is in addition to the 100 slots the Studers provided to inner-city children to the Mike Johnson / George Selvie football camp earlier in June. Quint Studer noted the local support for the camps and the community’s excitement about the local professional sports talent generally.

“We are happy to partner with Josh Sitton to put on this camp for our area’s young athletes. The Gulf Coast is so fortunate to have several professional athletes that are not only accomplished in their sports field, but do a wonderful job coming back home and helping our young people,” said Studer.

“Not every young person will become a star professional athlete, but when professionals like Josh come home and tell these young people to work hard both on and off the field, to set goals, and to focus on making good life decisions, it’s a real inspiration for these kids,” Studer continued.

“Rishy and I are happy to support these camps because so many of our athletes like Josh are not only hard workers, they’re also good citizens and good people.  They’re great role models for kids on and off the field.”

The camp was organized by ProCamps, a national organization that coordinates sports camps for professional athletes across the country. Sitton, back in town after his 2013 season with the Green Bay Packers, said the camp was an opportunity to give back to the Pensacola area.

“It’s always great to come back home to Pensacola,” said Sitton. “This is such a great community that has been so supportive of me, and I can’t thank Studer Community Development enough for helping make this camp a reality for so many young people who might not have this opportunity.  Hopefully everybody had a good time, learned some football, and more importantly learned some life lessons that can help them on and off the field.”

Escambia County Commission Chairman Lumon May, who worked with the Southern Youth Sports Association to distribute the camp scholarships to inner-city children, said the football camps and the generosity of the Studers give local young people a constructive opportunity to improve their athletic and life skills.

“The Studers have been so generous to this community and they are always ready to step up for our area’s young people,” said May. "This camp and others like it put role models in front of these children who can coach them on how to improve their sports skills as well as their life skills. With so many of our youth struggling to find their way, it is good to know that our pro athletes and private philanthropists like the Studers are stepping up to help guide and encourage our young people to make good decisions.”

Sponsored by Studer Community Development and partnering with Southern Youth Sports Association, half of the camp spots have been dedicated to young athletes from low-income families who might not otherwise be able to attend.

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