Driven by a love of football and a desire to make the sport accessible to all, Ian Leitch ’14 founded the Leitch Football Camp in Green Oak Township, Mich. in 2007. Since then, under his dedicated leadership, the camp has expanded and gained prestige.

In response to the lack of athletic opportunities for underprivileged children in his area, Leitch, a running back for the College’s football team, created the camp after his first year at Brighton High School in Brighton, Mich. “It struck me that the costs and requirements of other camps kept underprivileged and special needs kids excluded throughout the summer,” Leitch said.

Organized by local football players and volunteers, Leitch Football Camp serves children from ages five to 10 years old. The camp aims to create a welcoming, judgment-free environment for boys and girls of any athletic ability in which they can acquire confidence and learn the basics of football. After warming up, children have the opportunity to test each football position at different stations throughout the camp. The final day of camp culminates in a friendly touch football scrimmage and a pizza party supplied by the local Cottage Inn in Michigan.

In addition to being open to all, the camp manages to keep expenses low. Admission to the camp costs five dollars during the summer of 2011, and charities received all of the accumulated funds. In the past, the camp has contributed to several Michigan organizations, such as the Livingston Family Center, Livingston Area Council Against Spouse Abuse (LACASA) and Brighton High School athletics.

Upon leaving for the Hill in 2010, Leitch passed much of the camp’s control to his younger brother, James, but maintains an active role in the camp each summer and plans to continue the camp in years to come. A psychology major with a neuroscience concentration, Leitch is also a member of the Colby Achievement Program in the Sciences (CAPS) program on campus, which he described as “a great experience with incredible professors and leadership.” CAPS is a six-week summer program that allows motivated incoming first-years from diverse backgrounds to get a jumpstart on research and to assimilate into a college laboratory setting.

Leitch said that his favorite aspect of the camp is the spirit of the many children who attend. Leitch recalled one experience with a nine-year-old football fanatic restricted to a wheelchair and expressed how rewarding it was to see him “finally get control of the ball and experience the game he loved.”