The Largest Youth Football & Cheer Organization in the Country

A Spotlight on Giving Back:
Stories about making a difference

LONG-TIME FOUNDER AND COACH OF YOUTH FOOTBALL CARL ALLEGRETTI PIONEERS NATIONAL AMERICAN YOUTH FOOTBALL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

The Carl S. Allegretti scholarship award goes to the top American Youth Football (AYF) Academic Athlete; Carl Allegretti inducted into AYF Hall of Fame

Carl Allegretti, a man who embodies the spirit of American Youth Football, through his life-long dedication to academics and athletics, has contributed to yet another initiative that focuses on the development of our youth. The annual Carl S. Allegretti scholarship reinforces the values of the world’s largest youth football organization and will be awarded to the top AYF Academic Athlete. Carl Allegretti has also been inducted into the AYF Hall of Fame for his long-time dedication to youth football and his emphasis on education.

“Football has been a huge part for my life, as I played from 4th grade through college,” stated Allegretti. “After college I spent time coaching kids, and eventually started the youth football program in Frankfort, Illinois--- the Frankfort Falcons. After 6 years, the Frankfort Falcons have almost 700 football players and cheerleaders. It is an honor to be inducted into the American Youth Football Hall of Fame. The annual Carl S. Allegretti scholarship is being set up to support the continued efforts of Mr. Galat and the whole AYF organization. I hope that the annual scholarship helps young men continue to play the great game of football and learn life lessons in the process.”

Carl attended Butler University in Indianapolis on an athletic scholarship. He played 4 years of football, lettering in the sport. Carl majored in Accounting, achieving a 4.0/4.0 in Accounting, and graduated cum laude, with high honors in Accounting.

He attended Andrean High School in Indiana from 1975 through 1979. During his high school career, he achieved academic and athletic excellence. Just some of Carl’s athletic high school accomplishments included becoming a nine-time letter winner (including football, wrestling and track), the 5th sophomore in history of the school to letter in football, a 1975 freshman MVP(football), the captain of the 1978 football team, and the most valuable lineman in 1978.

Carl Allegretti is widely known as a family man, dedicated football enthusiast and a first-class working professional. His life today is a reflection of success in both school and sports.

Chelsea Pride Football is committed to Giving Back

Chelsea Pride Football day was held on Sunday April 26th, 2009 at a local park in Chelsea MA.

Part of the days festivities was a bone marrow drive for Javier Mendoza.

Javier Mendoza is a 29 year-old dad and husband who is currently an active member of the U.S. Coast Guard. He needs to find a bone marrow match in order to survive. Javier was diagnosed with ALL(Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) in November 2008 while stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii with his wife, Jaclyn, and his young son,Cameron. Javier travels to Stanford, California for weeks at a time for chemotherapy. His leukemia is in remission, but the likelihood that he may relapse is higher than normal due to his genetics. The mission at Javi’s Army is to find a life saving match for Javier and to bring awareness to the Hispanic Community.

Less than 6% of the National Bone Marrow Registry is identified as being Hispanic. Patients in need of bone marrow transplants can only be paired with donors of the same or similar ethnic makeup, creating a need for ethnic minorities and multi-ethnic people to be donors.

The people from Javi's Army said the Chelsea Pride Football day was the biggest turn out they have ever recieved. We helped doubled their drive numbers.

This is part of our community outreach program that Chelsea Pride has. We vowed as a community to give back at every possible opportunity. After all everyone is giving back to our program.

"It is selfless acts like this that seperate programs and how they operate. Any chance that the Pride gets to give back to less fortuante is a success in our eyes. We have preached family, school/work, then football to our kids from the very begining. One day it might be one of our children or family members who needs bone marrow. I would love to see this type of practice across the country not just with AYF but with all communities."

Gary May Executive Director; Chelsea Pride Youth Football & Cheering

AYF Salutes Mike Ilitch Owner of the Detroit Tigers

Because AYF Members are “united in sport and giving back”.

AYF salutes Mike Ilitch “ owner of the Detroit Tigers and Redwings” told his people to thank the potential paying customers, but to say that the coveted centerfield fountain this year was spoken for. It would be the feature site for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. For free.

No charge. Not one penny.

So starting with the home opener at Tigers Stadium the Chrysler, General Motors and Ford logos will be on an equal plane above the fountain. And beneath those logos will be a few new words: "The Detroit Tigers support our automakers."

It may be as close to a social statement as centerfield has ever made.

We do it because we love our past and we believe in our future. Detroit may be the new home of the bumpy ride, but as the Three Musketeers once discovered, it's a little smoother when you grab hands with others. Think about that the next time a home run sends that fountain shooting up to those logos. Sometimes it really is all for one and one for all.

The Little Warriors Lift up a Neighboring Community 

When Dave Bickel (AYF's Giving Back Coordinator) received Gary May II emails about a new AYF organization in MA called the Chelsea Youth Football Pride needing equipment so that the league could reach their goals of a successful 2009 season, he immediately contacted John Hornberfer, head coach of the little warriors football team in Hampton, NH who had fortunately contacted AYF a few weeks before with 120 helmets to donate to a deserving program.Thanks to The Little Warriors donation, the Chelsea Pride, only 45 miles away will have a chance to create a strong program in the community and get some kids onto the football field.

Article from the Sea Coast Online
Little Warriors donate helmets to Chelsea, Mass., program
January 09, 2009
HAMPTON — The Little Warriors made the Chelsea Pride very, very happy.
"They were just thrilled," said John Hornberger, referring to the 100 football helmets that the Pride received from the Little Warriors football program. "They're just fantastic people."
Hornberger, the Peewee coach of the Little Warriors, presented a number of coaches, parents and players from the Pride — a second- through eighth-grade youth football program from Chelsea, Mass. — the helmets recently.
This past year the Little Warriors Board of Directors purchased 120 new helmets and decided to seek out an inner city start-up program that could benefit from such a donation.
They found one through American Youth Football (AYF). The AYF has a "Give Back " program to allow such donations and on its list were a number of youth football programs, many of them inner-city start-up programs from across the country, which were less fortunate and didn't have the resources the Little Warriors have at the present time.
The Little Warriors found a perfect match only 45 miles away — Chelsea Pride Youth Football.
"These people were ecstatic," said Hornberger.
The Pride, noted Hornberger, not only will strive to produce good football players, but they hope to build character and responsibility in them and produce future community leaders in a city that has many obstacles to overcome for their youth..
The Little Warriors and Pride hope to have an ongoing relationship. There's already talk about scrimmaging their teams in the upcoming season.
"We look forward to having that relationship," said Hornberger. "They're only 45 miles away, and they live in a totally different environment. I'm just amazed how grateful they were. It was great. It was a great experience.
"The Little Warriors are proud to be a part of such an undertaking and wish the Pride the best in the future."
The Pride will replace the Little Warriors' metallic blue with their own colors — black and red.

The Glencoe Trevians Host "Friendship Weekend"

When Mark Rice says Giving Back “is what youth football is all about”, he means it! For the Past two years the Glencoe Trevians have hosted a "Friendship Weekend " with the Chicago Heights Panthers before each season. Glencoe is 60 miles away from Chicago Heights geographically and as Mark explains,, “is also very different racially, economically, and religiously. So we get together for a weekend of Friendship and to make friends and celebrate our diversity. We also play football and raise money for both programs. Our boards working together to plan and organize to the kids and coaches working together to put together an entire weekend of friendship, football, fundraising... Last year we all went to a Northwestern University football game and had a sleepover the night before our own football games. Having the families and players truly get to know each other is a life lesson that will not be forgotten. We have raised $20,000 over the past two years".

Article from Glencoe News/Neighborhoodcircle.com
Story By: Heather Leszczewicz | Staff Writer

Pour Elle's Pascal Ibgui earned his official Glencoe Titans jersey by helping the team with Friendship Weekend. The Glencoe Titans' philosophy stresses the need for sportsmanship on and off the field. Because of the Titans' strong belief in a team ethic and learning lessons, the team reached out to the newly established Chicago Heights Panthers, also part of American Youth Football, for a weekend of building friendships and playing football. The team declared the weekend of Sept. 15 "Friendship Weekend." The Chicago Heights team will visit Glencoe for non-contact games, tailgating, a raffle and auction on Saturday before an actual football game on Sunday. Glencoe families will host the Chicago Heights players not only on the field, but also in their homes, organizing sleepovers for players on both teams. Chicago Heights Panthers Commissioner Derrick Dord said that he's excited for this opportunity. "It gives the (Chicago Heights) kids a chance to mingle with other kids they don't usually mingle with," he said. "Whatever gets them out of their neighborhood is a plus too. A lot of kids don't get a chance to get out and get away. In their area they're surrounded by negativity. For the kids to get outside and mingle with other kids, it's good for them." Willie Green, Glencoe Football Association board member, said that the weekend would never have been possible without a generous donation of $5,000 from Pascal Ibgui, owner of Pascal Pour Elle, a salon and spa located at 368 Park Ave. in Glencoe. "The main reason I wanted to contribute is because I don't think anybody should be left behind because of financial reasons, particularly when dealing with kids who don't have what we have here (Glencoe)," Ibgui said. "I remember as a child being deprived of many things, moneywise. Things have been good for me and if I could be able to give away something and help a kid to succeed in something they love, I think that's the goal." In addition to Ibgui's donation, the Glencoe Titans have raised more than $3,000 to help the Chicago Heights Panthers hire new coaches and buy other equipment. "It'll go towards equipments for the kids and there's other things that we have planned with banquets for the kids, trophies," Dord said. "Anything that we get we're going to get back to the kids one way or another." Dord said that when the Panthers first started, it was started on a zero balance and most funds came from out of pocket, his included. "We pretty much struggled to get this program off the ground but with God's help we've succeeded and as far as getting sponsors, we have no support, everyone turned us down," he said. "We want to help some kids keep them off the streets so that for four hours parents know where their kids are. All our kids are first year players. Parents are happy. We want to keep this program going in order to keep the program going takes funds to keep a program."