Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 12, 1993 TAG: 9305120168
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-7 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
Clark, who recently moved from the Washington Redskins to the Phoenix Cardinals, has been offering these camps since 1990 in Roanoke, Hillsville and Washington.
This year's camp will be held June 20-26 at the school where Clark graduated and became a football star and will feature some of his former Redskins teammates.
Mark Schlereth, Raleigh McKenzie, Danny Copeland, Brian Mitchell, Kurt Gouveia, Andre Collins, Ricky Sanders and Fred Stokes from the Redskins plan to attend for at least a day.
So will Redskins Coach Emmitt Thomas, Clark's new Phoenix teammate, Jock Jones, and Dallas Cowboys team member Charles Haley.
Clark and Haley played football together and became friends when they attended James Madison University.
The camp is open to boys and girls ages 8-18. The cost is $375 for a boarding camper and $250 to commute. Partial scholarships are available through contributions from businesses and individuals.
The program is designed to discourage alcohol and drug use and youth violence while promoting personal and leadership skills.
"It's more than a sports camp to me. That's not the important part about it," said Milton Clark, Gary's father. "The ball players are just a tool . . . a drawing card to get the kids there, to get some kind of a message to them."
Milton Clark encourages visitors to see the camp while the program is going on. He knows many of them will come mainly to see the visiting football stars.
"It's good to come and see them, but come see our program," he said, and how it leads young people away from drugs and other problems. "It shows you that, with a little bit of help, you don't have to get into this stuff."
Gary's sister, Sheila Clark, also is involved in the effort.
"I guess she's the brains," her father said. "She coordinates the whole thing. She puts it all together."
The Pulaski County Board of Supervisors recently turned down an appeal to contribute to the camp, citing a tight budget.
The economy in the New River Valley also is not helping bring in donations for scholarships. The scholarships are needed to help many young people, for whom the camp was established, who are from families unable to afford the fees.
"You've got to have help from the community," Clark said.
Clark said his son has picked up the tab when the camp has been in the red, "and he won't turn a kid away. That makes it hard, too."
But some people supporting his son's idea of a camp focusing on athletic and leadership development have been supporting it since its start, he said.
He said the Clark family is hoping other athletes will try similar ventures.
"What I'm trying to say is you need camps like this," he said. "It's a fight against drugs, I guess. . . . We're trying to do this little bit."
Further information about the camp is available by writing to the Clark "Why Say No?" Camp, P.O. Box 276, Dublin, Va. 24084, or by calling 674-1321.
Contributions are tax-deductible. Besides providing scholarships and transportation for homeless and low-income youths, they go toward meals served during the camp, educational and motivational materials for participants and training for peer leaders.
More than 1,500 young people have attended the camp since the first one was held in 1990.
by CNB