On top of the hill, north of the catskills and east of the finger lakes, a distinctive teutonic red towering building overviews the sprawling campus of Syracuse University and the multitude of bricks in shapes and forms from the hey day industrial architecture of the 1950s that makes up this metropolis in upstate New York. It is a town that could easily go back in time and a town that seems to hold a  grudgenly  against  time.
      
        The inner city not like the massive urbanized meccas of our nations major cities, it too is of time placed  and woven  as thick and as pernament as the  ivy on prestigious academic  buildings sprawled  throughout the  hill. Like the colors of the Ivy that change through the seasons, the inner city here was first established with the migrating Europeans that came to America  at the turn of the 20th century, today those neighborhoods with many the same buildings and streets are empty of European Americans and now occupied by  African Americans close to or in poverty as those before them were. From these surroundings and elements of New York toughness and a dose of Yankee spirit come our 75 young 9 to 12 year old boys. Not wise nor street tough as the big city influence with  gangs, lingo and hype,  they are  different and similar to many of our smaller  cities throughout America. Here value, character has a little traction and there is also a little  hope to dream to build a better life.
      
        The boys had their expectations filled with a program they tested and loved. They had a inspiring trip to the first day of the Buffalo Bills Training Camp yesterday and today they performed  their closing ceremonies with skits on life skills and a scrimmage in front of their families.
      
         The 12 Syracuse Football players who were their father type figures for four weeks had a much more startling impact on the young boys but surprisingly a similar impact on themselves. As putting forward natural fatherhood in a young red blooded prime age alpha male athlete  cannot resist his biological instincts to shepard, lead an make way for the young men that not too long ago  were in those same bodies with those same challenges. It is of natural instinct and paternal spirit we so often see and identify in our society to  women and babies that is just as strong with young aspiring men and the young boys we witnessed here,  who are so very much wanting  to be those exact aspiring men. They are one and the same, they identify and relate and have a common bond that we can only watch, admire and hope to perpetuate. For the facts and practice remain that the exact same behavior issues that the young boys have,  also too these young Syracuse  Orange Men have beaten, still face and  are continuing to fight  them. What better way is there  for both groups to really  learn, prosper and find the right path to break the cycle then to have our Orange men teach the young at risk boys life skills and be with them 8 hrs a day for four weeks this past month. Too see behaviors that weren't realized until being put in this role.
      
        That factor alone makes the impact we are looking for beyond the teaching of academics, the playing of football and the experience of structure and support of a University environment.
      
        Done right, there is no better way.
      
        We are fortunate that this transpired here down at the bottom of the hill where Syracuse stands and the support we received from Syracuse University.

       
        Riki