CJFL: Colts always willing to lend a hand

This past January, however, he did something more important on a trip
to Asia. On a one-month volunteer trip at a Cambodia orphanage he
helped teach kids as young as two and as old as 18  some English and
how look after themselves by way of basic personal hygiene.

Long (pictured below) and his girlfriend Kendal Bayda actually paid
for the privilege of working at the facility through a program called
International Volunteer Headquarters.

“At the time we were the only Canadians there; the rest were from
Australia,” Long said. “They were excited to have someone from another
country come there and help out.”

The quarterback is one of many members of the Calgary Colts who
consistently volunteer. The junior football program is active
year-round in its attempt to develop good citizens. Last month, for
example, a group of players helped kick off the Calgary Public
Library’s 2012 TD Summer Reading Club at the Thornhill branch.

Among other regular efforts done annually: putting together Christmas
hampers at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church; assisting with the
Forzani’s Mother’s Day Run; working at Family Matter’s Father’s Day
picnic; as well as the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Society’s Christmas
turkey dinner. In 2011 the Colts helped Habitat for Humanity build a
house in Cochrane.

“As these requests come in, players are very, very interested in
giving back to the community,” said Sharon Lea, a Colts director for
11 years and the person charged with co-ordinating the team’s
volunteer work.

A natural way for the Colts to help out is by coaching minor and high
school football. Long is an assistant at both Notre Dame High School
and the Mavericks midget program. Now 21, the University of Calgary
student first played the sport with the Mavericks minor program as a
nine year old.

“Other coaches took their time to teach me so I want to pay it
forward, just like they did,” Long explained.

It was a Colt, D.J. Whetton, who was awarded the Prairie Football
Conference and Canadian Junior Football League’s Past Commissioners
Award in 2011 for his volunteer efforts. Whetton has a long list of
volunteer endeavours on his resume though he is only 21. He coaches
basketball, football and track and at his alma mater Bowness high
school and helps out at the Aim High Sports Camp.

Whetton is also involved in the YoungLife youth mentor program, which
provides safe hangouts and creates programs to keep youth off the
street.

Whetton has one more year at Mount Royal University before joining
YoungLife (younglife.ca) in a fulltime paid capacity as a child and
youth worker. He’s working this summer as YoungLife’s fundraiser and
is organizing a brunch and auction July 15 at the Bears Den restaurant
in Bearspaw to raise money to help kids get to RockRidge Canyon in
Princeton, B.C. (rockridgecanyon.com).

“This is a calling,” Whetton said. “It’s not something that I looked
at and said ‘I can make money doing this.’ It’s what I’m meant to do.”

Whetton also launched on behalf of the Colts in 2011 the Pink October
initiative to raise almost $5,000 for cancer research. His volunteer
efforts earn him the Colts’ Sharon Lea Award for 2011.

“All of the things these kids for me demonstrates just how remarkable
they are,” Lea said.

“These kids are not only outstanding on an athletic level field but
are real leaders when given the opportunity in their lives.”

For more information on the Colts and volunteering visit calgarycolts.com.