NFL player Keenan Allen spent valuable time with the young athletes of Snoop Dogg’s 2022 Snoop Special Stars Camp.
The Los Angeles Chargers Wide Receiver helped the kids learn skills and feel empowered with a day of coaching.
According to the NFL team’s website, “The Snoop Youth Football League is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to provide the opportunity for inner-city children to participate in youth football and cheer. In 2017, the SYFL added to The Snoop Special Stars Football and Cheer division serving all Special Needs children and young adults (5-18+) with physical and intellectual disabilities.”
The camp’s goal is “to break the negative stigma surrounding Special Needs and to provide support and positive resources within inner city communities and surrounding areas.”
Just by stopping by and coaching the kids and encouraging them to have their own dance moves, the professional football star did his part to achieve that.
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Allen said in a video that he wanted to make the day “special” for the children, giving them “something they can learn from.”
Snoop shared that the camp’s purpose is more profound than just the game, “It’s all about giving these kids an opportunity to be kids … to have fun.”
“A child with special needs … their life is a lot different,” Nykauni Tademy, the program director, said. “They’re not included in a lot of things because of their disability.”
Tyrone Rodgers, the assistant at Snoop Special Stars, informed, “Our kids’ challenge is in showing their emotions. Everything we do is all about it expressing your emotion and happiness.”
The director added that Keenan Allen gave the kids hope.
“These kids know what this means when an NFL player comes out here, take that time to coach them up and give them that love and inspiration … and for those kids to smile and have fun and to know that it’s alright,” Snoop said. “This is the best feeling in the world when you can give somebody joy.”