The following is an excerpt from an article originally published on ESPN.com.
…
ASBURY PARK, N.J. — Bobby Okereke worked his way up the stairs to the second floor of the Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth County this spring.
Some of the children didn’t seem to know him, just that he was some kind of “VIP” who towered over the busy school-age kids.
One boy stopped Okereke as he made his way into a multimedia room that had a recording studio and asked his name. Okereke, the starting middle linebacker for the New York Giants, told him.
“This you?” the boy asked just seconds later.
He had searched Okereke on one of the facility’s computers. On the screen was a collage of pictures of him in a Giants uniform.
“Yeah, that’s me,” he said with a chuckle and smile.
The boy followed up with a barrage of questions, ranging from if he makes a lot of money to if he knew Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry. Okereke answered them all with his trademark smile, creating a memory the boy will likely never forget.
These are the kinds of interactions Okereke has come to expect while making stops at Boys & Girls Clubs across New Jersey. And there have been plenty.
Okereke has made visits to 11 clubs, including one twice when he brought the Giants’ linebackers room on a recent field trip to the Boys & Girls Club of Hudson County.
He expects there to be more.
…
To read this article in its entirety, visit ESPN.com.
Continue Reading