You don't always get "graded" on giving back to the community. A football player at Northeastern High School is taking his senior project off the gridiron, and into a gym.
Through providing an opportunity that some kids don't have, his kindness ended up coming back full circle.
A unique senior project lined up by lineman Garrett Graybill. Special needs kids play flag football inside the gym at Northeastern High School.
Garrett's inspiration is his number one fan, brother Dylan, who has Down Syndrome.
”He never got a chance to play football in high school and I thought it would be fun for some kids to come out to be part of that,” Graybill told us.
Denise Spong brought her son as well. “This was wonderful. He was excited all week to participate,” Spong told us. “It lets them feel like they're able to do something at most times they're not, they're able to watch but now they're able to participate.”
As Garrett touched the lives of many kids with special needs, a school janitor walked up to his mother and was so moved by what he saw, he decided to play it forward.
“He came and gave me money, a gift of cash,” explained Garrett’s mother, Lori Graybill. “He said he just thought God wanted him to give that to me and that will pay for the gym rental, so it was
The money is a huge help, especially because Garrett's parents both recently lost their jobs.
“I didn't know he did that,” Garrett said when we asked him about the janitor, “that's awesome!”
In the Northeastern High School gym, a Saturday afternoon is full of wins thanks to a very special high school senior and his biggest fan.
Through providing an opportunity that some kids don't have, his kindness ended up coming back full circle.
A unique senior project lined up by lineman Garrett Graybill. Special needs kids play flag football inside the gym at Northeastern High School.
Garrett's inspiration is his number one fan, brother Dylan, who has Down Syndrome.
”He never got a chance to play football in high school and I thought it would be fun for some kids to come out to be part of that,” Graybill told us.
Denise Spong brought her son as well. “This was wonderful. He was excited all week to participate,” Spong told us. “It lets them feel like they're able to do something at most times they're not, they're able to watch but now they're able to participate.”
As Garrett touched the lives of many kids with special needs, a school janitor walked up to his mother and was so moved by what he saw, he decided to play it forward.
“He came and gave me money, a gift of cash,” explained Garrett’s mother, Lori Graybill. “He said he just thought God wanted him to give that to me and that will pay for the gym rental, so it was
The money is a huge help, especially because Garrett's parents both recently lost their jobs.
“I didn't know he did that,” Garrett said when we asked him about the janitor, “that's awesome!”
In the Northeastern High School gym, a Saturday afternoon is full of wins thanks to a very special high school senior and his biggest fan.