By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Although he no longer suits up for the black and gold, retired New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister still makes his rounds to energize and motivate youth in the area.

The former gridiron great stopped in LaPlace Wednesday morning to spend some time with the campers and counselors at New Wine Christian Fellowship’s Kids on the Move Camp.

“You guys don’t realize how lucky you are to have something like this to go to every day,” McAllister said. “Your counselors and leaders are not only keeping you out of trouble, but also teaching a lesson in the value of faith.”

McAllister’s visit also served as an opportunity to provide an overview of camp activities to donors and community leaders. Camp Director Karina Portillo, who has been with Kids On The Move since its inception, explained the camp has continued to grow with age. She said this year’s enrollment of 215 kids is the largest the camp has handled.

Portillo said the camp forged an agreement this year with the St. John the Baptist Parish School System to add a tutoring portion to the daily camp curriculum.

“The main focus is literacy skills,” Portillo said. “We are striving to make sure that no knowledge gets lost over the summer months, and they are ready to jump back into school in the fall.”

St. John Schools Superintendent Courtney Millet said the position is federally funded through a Title I grant for community education programs. She said the grant also helps the camp with bus service for educational field trips.

Although McAllister only spoke to the campers for a short period, he hit on an assortment of valuable life lessons that included listening and being obedient, making good grades in school, getting outside and staying active and giving back to the community.

“Keep these lessons in mind and you are guaranteed to stay on the right path,” McAllister said.

McAllister said he tries to work in time with kids across the area as frequently as possible and said he maintains a strong presence throughout Louisiana and in his home state of Mississippi, where he played four years at running back for University of Mississippi in Oxford.

“It’s been a blessing,” he said. “Just those short few minutes really mean a lot for these kids.”

McAllister said his current focus has been back to school programs with his Catch 22 Foundation. He said the organization is about to kick off a school supply drive across Mississippi and Louisiana to make sure students have all they need for the year ahead.

“You see another level of confidence in these kids when they know they have everything they need for school,” McAllister said. “It makes them happy, and it helps some of these parents out in the process.”