Georgia players return to Camp Sunshine for first time since 2019
Georgia Football players made the trip to Camp Sunshine for the first time since 2019 this week, a special tradition that’s been put on hold the last couple of years. Providing a retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families since 1984, Camp Sunshine serves to enrich the lives of Georgia’s children with cancer and their families through year-round recreational, educational and support program. A visit from the Bulldogs is just a part of that.
Georgia assistant director of player development Austin Chambers posted a photo of himself alongside Dan Jackson, Arian Smith, Ladd McConkey, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Sedrick Van Pran and Zion Logue at the camp as they played alongside the children in attendance.
“Camp Sunshine has always been special to Georgia Football,” Chambers wrote in his post on social media. “Glad we were able to finally make it back for the first time since 2019. All these kids have an amazing story and live their life to the fullest despite the circumstances they have been dealt!”
Here’s video of the whole team going in 2019.
The trip to Camp Sunshine – even if just a small group of players – is far from the first bit of community service the Bulldogs have done this offseason. Georgia Football posted a video earlier in the month of June showing the team “starting out the summer by serving (their) community.” Van Pran is quoted in the video saying, “It’s part of the life style. It’s what we do. We love to make the kids happy.”
Featured Georgia players range from five-stars to walk-ons, freshmen to seniors and everybody in between. Earnest Greene, Warren Brinson, Xavian Sorey, Daijun Edwards, Ladd McConkey, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Mykel Wiliams, Jackson Meeks, Arian Smith, Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Gabriel Harris, Jordan Hall, Jamaal Jarrett, Monroe Freeling, Zion Logue, Kendall Milton, Tate Ratledge, Nyland Green, Julian Humphrey, CJ Allen, Daylen Everette and Sedrick Van Pran all make appearances in the video, among many others.
The video shows several examples of community service including playing with kids at the Boys and Girls Club, reading to elementary school students, picking up trash, handing out food and more. Darris Smith and Warren Brinson both hosted free football camps for kids this spring in their hometowns in South Georgia. The Dawgs for Pups program started by the football team in 2020 and continued on over the years has also contributed to the community with fundraising events for WiFi hotspots amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and schools being forced online, food and coat drives among other initiatives.
Georgia summer workouts are in full swing as the Bulldogs begin preparations for the 2023 season, one in which they’ll try to do something that hasn’t been done since the 1930s: win a third straight National Championship.
