AMERICUS —
Hundreds of children from Southwest Georgia were on hand for Americus native and former UGA standout Leonard Pope's Annual Kids Day.
Pope, who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, was joined by NFL friends Edgerrin James (Colts, Cardinals), Marcus McNeill (Chargers), Thomas Davis (Panthers), Charles Grant (Saints, Dolphins), Dexter McCluster and Jake O'Connel (Chiefs) and a number of local semi-pro and high school players as they led the kids through a intense workout that begin with a walk through downtown Americus to Alton Shell Stadium.
After the walk, Pope addressed the crowd and thanked them for coming. The camp attendees, which also included young cheerleaders that were directed by both Sumter County Stars (semi-pro) and South Georgia Wildcats (Arena) cheerleaders, did drills for an hour before breaking for lunch.
The cheerleaders performed during the break, and a raffle was held with two participants winning a new bike. Pope introduced his NFL friends and thanked everyone for their support before ending the camp as the players sign autographs and took pictures with the camp attendees and their parents.
"It was great to see so many kids out today," said Pope, who once again teamed with Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in an effort to help fight childhood obesity. "I want to thank everyone who helped make this event a success, and I look forward to seeing everyone next year".
