Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon has officially become a part of the Philadelphia community.
As the invited guest for the Open Door Abuse Awareness and Prevention football combine for young athletes in honor of Juneteenth on Saturday, attendees welcomed Lemon with both words and actions, rushing to gates at Mastery Charter School to greet Philly’s newest Eagle. Author and social media personality Wallace Peeples, more commonly known as Wallo267, was also a guest at the event.
The event combined athletic training with teaching emotional skills and was held at Mastery Charter for youth and high school football players.
Valencia Peterson, ODAAP’s founder, said that through its decade-long mission, the organization uses sports to share its message because of the captive audience it offers as athletes rotate through stations in agility, jumping, a 40-yard dash, and more.
“It’s all about dosing the kids, giving them a little bit at a time over and over again of the same things,” Peterson said. “Just like a rep in football, you swing your arms enough, you know how to do it automatically when you’re on the field, and so that’s what it’s like.”
After completing the different stations, Peterson turned things over to Lemon and Peeples to say a few words and offer advice to the athletes.
“This is a blessing. I’m just preaching to all the kids that it’s an opportunity that they shouldn’t take for granted,” Lemon said. “Super grateful, to be out here with all the kids.”
Aliyoh Turay, 24, was in the same position as the kids Lemon spoke to on Saturday. Growing up in Philadelphia, Turay was a part of the ODAAP programs in high school. Now, he volunteers by helping at events like the combine and coaching.
Turay said ODAAP was like a family that helped him grow and navigate adversity. He hopes the tools for self advocating and handling adversity will pass on to the next generation currently participating in these events.
“Growing up some of us aren’t really taught how to speak up for ourselves and how to talk about what we’re going through and ask for help,” Turay said. “So, ODAAP has really been a tool I have used to grow and reach out for help and talk about what I was going through.”
Bryant Paden, known throughout the city as “Coach Slice,” said the goal for these events is for the athletes to “learn, that it’ll grow in them, and that they’re beginning to teach it to the next generation.”
Paden, Liberty Charter’s Pop Warner president, said that demonstrating skills of emotional intelligence, especially as the brain is still developing, allows participants to retain the message more.
“We’re teaching them how to use their energy and their emotions in a positive way, even when competing in such a physical sport,” Paden said. “I think just saying it, it comes off as just words, and so we want to make sure that not only we’re saying it, we’re able to, throughout their growth, point out examples of people doing the right thing and the wrong thing, so that they can see the difference in the consequences.”
In hopes of continuing this education after Saturday’s event, a free copy of Peeples’ book “Say Yes to You and No to Them” was given to each parent at the event, as well as each of the high school students attending.
Peeples, who grew up in Philadelphia, said it was important to him to give back to the community and invest in its future, and hopes to see more athletes like Lemon doing the same in the future.
“I hope that we start seeing more professional athletes in the community, because it’s not just about the community coming out there and cheering for you, it’s also about you showing up for the community in different ways,” Peeples said. “The big plays really start in the community and showing up for the community. That’s the biggest play that you can make.”
