Jesup, Ga. () — T.Y. McGill never forgets his roots. The Wayne County native played football for the Seattle Seahawks and Saturday he hosted the 6th Annual free youth football camp.

The camp — for boys and girls ages 6 to 18 — offers the chance to learn football fundamentals from a professional athlete. But the kids take away much more too. McGill said he holds the camps to give back to the community. “I didn’t have anything like this when I was growing up. When I started my journey and got into the NFL, I started seeing my football peers doing camps in their hometowns. Eric Walden in Doublin, Georgia…he invited me to his camp and I said, ‘I have to do this in Jesup.’ That’s been the goal every year: to keep this camp going.”

Even though McGill’s camps are “touch-free” — the kids don’t play contact football — he says there is still plenty of physical activity to get them going. “The main focus is to have fun but there is a bit of that “work” aspect involved. I want to teach kids how to grind, how to keep working when you get tired.”

These are lessons McGill says helped him succeed and he lessons he wants to pass on to the kids in his hometown. “When fortune comes to you, you should pass it on. It’s about being able to give back. Being able to see smiles on these kids’ faces. That’s the end goal: get them fed, have fun and this is something they will remember.”

Saturday’s camp was presented by McGill’s “T.Y. McGill Foundation.” The foundation is committed to transforming the lives of young people by empowering them with important support services and programs that will help them rise to their potential.