Page 62 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2016

KIDS staying t
story by Lynn Lofton photos by Teddy Lewis
SAINTSJUNIORTRAININGCAMP Milner Stadium in Gulfport hosted the NFL Play 60 event
NEW ORLEANS
SAINTS mascot, Gumbo, was on hand to teach and entertain children.
The provisional class of
the Junior Auxiliary of Gulfport partnered with the New Orleans Saints
to host a Junior Training Camp for sixth graders. Part of the NFL’s Play 60 program, the event was held at Milner Stadium in Gulfport where representatives from the Saints and their team mascot, Gumbo, were on hand to teach the children about health and wellness and participate in a series
of football drills. Domino’s Pizza provided smart pizza slices for lunch. Three hundred sixth graders participated.
“Each year the provisional class selects a project that will positively benefit children in our service area,”
said Kimberly Rasmussen, leader of the project for the Junior Auxiliary. “This year the class wanted to do
a health and fitness project and
an opportunity presented itself to partner with the Saints.”
Sixth graders from 11 schools in Harrison County collected pop tabs to determine which schools would participate in the Junior Training Camp. A total of 617,000 tabs were collected and donated to the Ronald McDonald House in Mobile, a
home away from home for families with children being treated at local hospitals. Saucier Elementary School, Pass Christian Middle School and Crossroads Elementary School collected the most tabs, winning the privilege of participating in the camp.
62 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • April 2016
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