To work on his master’s program, former ISU football player Ben Durbin hosted a non-profit youth football camp, Champions of the Cardinal and Gold, on June 29 in Gilbert, Iowa, choosing to give back to the Gilbert community that has supported him.

The camp, which featured various stations that taught kids the basics of every position, went from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Roughly 120 kids signed up and about 30 others walked in, despite minimal advertising. Camp coordinators handed out flyers and got support from businesses, while remaining wary of Iowa State’s copyrights.

Volunteers helped direct each session to best help kids understand the importance of every position on the field. Children were grouped by age and rotated through timed stations, each one having different curriculum depending on the position.

The stations ranged from tackling, to catching long passes, to accelerating, juking and spinning, with each station always ending in a team-building pep talk.

“We organized it this way because a lot of kids are put into a single role, even though there might be a big kid out there with a really great throwing arm,” Durbin said. “We wanted to give them a chance to try out every single position.”

Many volunteers were also football players from Iowa State, or had previous football experience. Some came from churches, some were friends of Durbin, but all expressed that they were there to help give back to the community.

Former Cyclone defensive end Roosevelt Maggitt said he was happy to volunteer at the camp.

“I love working with kids, and this is a great opportunity to give back to the community through the children,” Maggitt said.

Former Cyclone and current New York Jets defensive end Jake McDonough also volunteered at the camp.

“I think it’s great to see ISU give back to the community,” McDonough said. “And give others opportunities that we didn’t have. I wish there were more camps like this when I was a kid. It’s exciting that we had such a great turn out today.”

This session not only helped the children, but also gave support back to the supportive community Durbin said he appreciated so much.