Ervin "Blue Print" Parker is a big man with big ideas and goals and that's a good thing because he's undertaking a big project. Parker, who got his nickname by leaving prints on people as a hard-hitting linebacker at South Carolina State, has come home. A graduate of Choppee High who went on to a distinguished NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers and Seattle Seahawks, Parker is back in Georgetown County and is establishing the Blue Print Leadership Academy. The non-profit organization is for at-risk young people ages 10 through 19.
The Academy will be at the old Choppee High School and the summer session begins June 10 and will run for five weeks. The Academy will also have an after-school program that runs from 3:30-5:45 p.m. four days a week during the school year. After students graduate from the Academy, he hopes they go out into the community and make a positive impact at their schools and with their families. Older students may also return as tutors.
Parker said it was crucial that young people develop good study and work habits early in life because choices they make, even at early ages, could have significant impacts on them and their families for years to come. "The kids we're probably going to help a lot are on the borderline of getting kicked out of the public schools into alternative schools or the Howard Adult Education Center," said Parker, who besides his NFL achievements, has had a successful career as a sports agent and promoter and was a radio talk show host in Seattle after playing with the Seahawks.
"What we're doing is giving them the opportunity to streamline these young men or young ladies back into public schools. My program is not just a tutoring program. Not just an at-risk prevention program. We want to educate not just the kids, we want to have seminars where we have people come in to educate the community on alcohol and drug awareness. On cardiovascular awareness. On nutrition subjects. We'll be using the auditorium at Choppee as our setting for some of the seminars. Also, we want to bring in business opportunities to let people know about services like pre-paid legal.
"This is something God has led me to do, the Academy. I have been blessed and I will take no income from Blue Print Leadership Academy. I'm financially secure and I don't have to depend on any money from this Academy. The only full-time employees I'm going to have are my program coordinator and my receptionist. And they�ve got to be able to do three or four things. Everybody else is going to be either volunteers or part-time people. We're not going to have that big expense of overhead."
Students at the Academy will receive tutoring in school subjects, personal and group counseling, take field trips and have physical education opportunities such as swimming classes. "I want them to gain self esteem and self confidence," Parker said. "And be able to be accountable. I firmly believe that if a kid can pinpoint what's going on around them, and stop trying to blame everybody else for what's going on in their live, things can improve. And be able to get the love and support they need, so I want them to be able to make better decisions about what they want to do with their lives."
Parker said there would be no charge to attend the Academy, but prospective students have to apply and be accepted. He said students at the Academy would wear a uniform. "We're going to have a uniform top, and possibly a bottom," he said. "We're going to have rules." "We don't want to be a baby-sitting program or daycare for anybody's kids. Students can't wear hair braids, they have got to wear belts and they're not going to wear baggy pants at the Academy. We�re trying to make disciplined young ladies and young men and to do that you have to have strict rules and regulations."
Parker said students in the summer program can earn "points" and receive a stipend at graduation day. "A teen-ager who attends the Academy and therefore can't work might be able to receive $250 at graduation. A 10-, 11- or 12-year-old might get $150 at the end of the program."
Parker's long-range goals call for other academy locations, perhaps in Andrews, Conway and Myrtle Beach. "One step at a time, Blue Print Leadership Academy will instill the values to allow youth to develop into the leaders of tomorrow," Parker said. "Through positive role-modeling and follow-up, the Academy will help youth establish a firm foundation upon which to grow. We understand that overcoming the obstacles in life helps to build a strong character. Rather than focusing on where they are, we will look at where the youth are capable of going, what they are capable of doing, and what steps need to be taken to get them there."
The Academy will seek to develop a "can-do" belief system in our young people. "Our underlying philosophy is that self-esteem is developed through believing in oneself which leads to a sense of self-worth. By empowering youth with the tools necessary to live up to their full potential combined with support and unconditional love, the students at the Academy will be self-confident young people who see an opportunity in every difficulty instead of difficulty in every opportunity."
Parker said his greatest satisfaction would come if someday in the future, a former student called and thanked him for making a positive difference in his or her life.
To make tax deductible donations to the Blue Print Leadership Academy, to volunteer or for more information, call Parker at 545-8861, e-mail him at Ervinparker@aol.com or, go online at www.blueprintleadership.org.
Ervin Parker (62) puts his "blueprint" on Patriots QB Steve Grogan...
| Former NFL players to play in Blueprint Tournament |
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Charleston, SC Post and Courier
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| By Tommy Braswell |
Ervin �Blue Print� Parker grew up in Choppee and played collegiately at S.C. State before going on to play in the National Football League with Buffalo, Seattle and San Diego. He�s now back home running a non-profit organization called the Blue Print Leadership Academy for at-risk young people between the ages of 10 and 19.
One of the organization's top fun-raisers is a celebrity golf tournament that will be played June 8 at Pawleys Plantation. Some of the celebrities who have committed to play include former NFL players Tony Dorsett, Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Ronnie Lott, Ozzie Newsome, Ken Stabler, William Andrews, Corey Dillon, Nat Moore, Dave Henderson and George Rogers. Information on the tournament is available by calling (843) 545-8861. The Academy has a five-week summer session that begins June 10. During the school year, there are afternoon sessions four days a week.
Blue Print Leadership Academy
2018 Church Street/ PO Box 1989; Georgetown, SC 29442
Office: (843) 545-8861 Fax: (843) 527-7453 Email:Blueprintleadership@yahoo.com
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