Boston College Athletics
Four Football Players Make A Difference This Summer
July 31, 2001 | Football
July 31, 2001
By Shaun Ulloa
Volunteering at the Charles R. Edwards Middle School in Charlestown, Mass. is one way four Boston College football players are making a positive impact on local middle school students this summer.
Seniors Dedrick Dewalt (Chicago, Ill.), Antonio Garay (Rahway, N.J.), junior William Green (Atlantic City, N.J.) and sophomore J.P. Comella (Dorchester, Mass.) are working as teacher assistants in summer school classes as part of the BIG EAST Athletes Care Program.
"What we are trying to do in the classroom is get teachers to allow a natural one-to-one relationship between the kids and the players from BC," program director Bernie Carey said.
"These four guys are helping make a great impact on these kids lives.
"We are trying to show the kids how athletes at a Division I school like BC have to do their work, too. They have self-discipline and we want some of that to rub off on these kids."
The school program runs from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day from July 9 through August 9 and there are 10-12 students in each classroom that the athletes work in.
Garay, a defensive lineman who missed last year with a knee injury, said that he enjoys being involved in a program like the BIG EAST Athletes Care program because he knows what it is like to be a youngster.
"I don't go to these programs to promote myself -- I go to let these kids know that I care," he says. "I try to make their time in summer school a little easier by doing whatever I can to help them.
"At home I'm a very strong family guy. I help out with all my family members, so when I am away from home, this is my way of trying to stay in touch with kids."
Carey said that he hopes the students from the middle school learn that getting help in school, or being tutored is not a bad thing.
"We want to show the kids that this is nothing to be ashamed of," he says. "These four guys are working in situations with kids who have failed. They are trying to turn that back around and show them they can succeed.
"Hopefully the kids will get the chance to see that people like Antonio, Dedrick, J.P. and William have been able to be successful both on the field and in the classroom. These guys can relate to the kids in the summer school and know some of the troubles they may face growing up."
Carey said that while observing the classes, he has already seen some of the contributions that the players are making to the program.
"After the second day, I was talking with the principal of the Edwards School, and she told me that the student that Antonio was working with was already calling Antonio his stepfather," Carey says. "Even though the student said this in a joking sense, a small thing like that shows that the work that Antonio is doing is making an impact."
"I'm happy when I see that I'm making his day a little better, it makes me feel good inside," Garay says.
In its 10th year of existence, the BIG EAST Athletes Care program still has one modest goal: "I just want, maybe half a dozen kids to say: 'Hey these guys at BC do their homework, so maybe I should too,' " Carey says.
