Youth Football Clinic Raises Money for Pancreatic Cancer Research
On Saturday, June 21, about 80 children with aspiration of playing high school football were treated to a free two-hour football clinic at the Highlands Middle School in White Plains.
The youth football clinic was organized by Jerry Flora, who is the Head Football Coach at William Patterson University and White Plains High School Head Football Coach Michael “Skip” Stevens.
The youth clinic was also a charitable event with all proceeds from sponsors being donated to the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.Flora has been a resident of White Plains for 17 years; he organized the event with the assistance of Stevens, to honor his late father-in-law Carl Viggiano, a former Mamaroneck police officer, who was afflicted with Pancreatic Cancer and passed away in June 2013.
“I wanted to give back to the city that I lived in for 17 years and honor my father-in-law Carl Viggiano. We started the free youth football clinic to bring all of White Plains together for one day regardless of what organization you are involved with,” stated Flora. “Also to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer through the Lustgarten Foundation and to give our youth a quality two-hour football practice.”
Flora and Stevens, with the assistance of White Plains Parks & Recreation Commissioner Wayne Bass, City of White Plains Mayor Tom Roach and Stepinac High School Head Football Coach Mike O’Donnell, assembled 25 volunteer-instructors to lead children in the two-hour free football clinic at Highlands Middle School.
The instructors included, area youth football coaches, high school coaches, high school assistant coaches, college coaches and high school and college players. Some notable names from the White Plains area who volunteered their time to the youth football clinic included, Mike Tomechko, Jim Huebner and Nick Granderson of White Plains Tigers Youth Football, Lukas Repetti, former White Plains H.S. tight-end, who is graduating this year and attending the University at Albany, Donato Vaccaro of White Plains Bernies Youth Football, Tigers Assistant Coaches Jim Avery, Paul Scotman and Kevin Avery, Tigers quarterback Tommy Avery and Tigers Trainer Mike Mirabella.
Representing Stepinac High School were Assistant Coach Andy Martinez, former player Daniel Pomposello and present Crusaders football players Dwayne Scott and DeMarcus Miller. Also, Eric Kagdis and seven other players from the William Paterson University Football Team aided the youth clinic with Velocity Sports Performance representatives Brain Fee and Craig Scialdone.
The free two-hour football clinic at Highlands Middle School raised nearly $1200 for Pancreatic Cancer Research. The sponsors included, JF Camps LLC, Velocity Sports Performance, What a Bagel Cafe, Tighe’s Tavern, Riddell, Palancia Insurance Company and Dicks Sporting Goods.
