Special needs football camp receives boost from Fredi The Pizzaman
A Sunshine’s Football Clinic participant scores a touchdown as his “buddy” looks on.
Two local community-enhancing juggernauts — the Fredi The Pizzaman Foundation and Sunshine’s Skills and Drills Football Clinic for Children with Special Needs — have joined forces to ensure Sunshine’s annual camp continues long past its current 10-year run.
Canton resident Fredi Bello, founder of the Fredi The Pizzaman Foundation, pledged recently to pay the amount of money needed to run the camp each year (approximately $3,500 to $4,000) after fundraising efforts have been exhausted.
This year, for instance, the foundation will give $2,500 to Sunshine’s so that its July 26 event runs smoothly.
“Fredi is an amazing person,” said Sunshine’s Director Brian Rochon. “The cool thing about Fredi is he doesn’t do things like this for the fame or recognition; he does it because he cares about his community.
“Fredi told me he wants us organizers to have a stress-free day the day of the camp and not have to worry about money.”
Sensory rooms thrive thanks to Fredi
Inspired by his 12-year-old son Antonio, who was diagnosed with autism when he was 3, Bello has spearheaded the construction of sensory rooms in 85 schools. Bello’s foundation has also paid for sensory rooms equipment in Ford Field and Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.
The Fredi The Pizzaman Foundation has donated close to $130,000 in equipment and scholarships. Its fundraising is 100% done through donations to the website and cash donations
Along with funding the cost of sensory room equipment in schools, the foundation focuses on autism acceptance and honoring ASD teachers for their incredible work.
“Because my foundation is all about autism and special needs, I think it’s very important my name and foundation is behind (the clinic),” Bello shared.
Bello is the owner of Melvindale’s Fredi The Pizzaman pizzeria.
Bello’s masses of longtime, loyal customers knew how amazing the Dearborn native’s pizza and goulash tasted long before Feb. 8, 2021, when David Portnoy – the man behind the insanely-popular Barstool One Bite Pizza Review podcasts – posted a video of him chomping into a Fredi’s pizza and declaring it: “Undoubtedly the best pizza in Detroit; not even close.”
The coast-to-coast post turned Bello’s successful pizza business into a global phenomenon.
“For the first few months after (Portnoy’s) video was posted I had people lined up outside, a half-mile down the street,” Bello said. “My kids got a kick out of it and I got all the stress (he smiled).
Impactful Passion Project
Sunshine’s is the mission of Connor Sherman, who came up with the idea of the special-needs football clinic during a fourth-grade “Genius Hour” class at Workman Elementary School in Canton.
Under the guidance of teacher Melanie Gray, each student created a Passion Project to be shared with the class/school/world.
Sherman’s Passion Project was to create an annual clinic during which kids with special needs received an opportunity play football. Sherman’s youth football nickname was “Sunshine” after the quarterback in “Remember The Titans”, thus the name of the clinic.
Rochon, a teacher at Pioneer Middle School and a high school assistant football coach at Livonia Churchill (and formerly Plymouth High School) has been instrumental in the clinic’s success.
Each clinic participant is paired with a buddy — either a Churchill or Plymouth football player — who helps guide them through the afternoon’s drills.
“I’ve said this repeatedly since our first clinic, the high school football players get as much out of the clinics as the individuals with special needs,” Rochon said. “They learn so much about humility, selflessness and community.”
Here’s how to donate
Donations can be made to the Sunshine’s Skills and Drills Football Clinic for Children with Special Needs by clicking on the “Your support is appreciated tab at the top of the page on its website here.
“It’s important that we continue to receive donations for Sunshine’s because the lower amount we need from Fredi each year is money he can put toward putting more sensory rooms in schools,” Rochon said. “Having Fredi’s name recognition and media connections will help a lot.”
The clinic also receives an annual donation from proceeds generated from the National Honor Society’s powder puff football game that is held each spring, Rochon added.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
