Canzano: Embracing the sweet sound of summer
A football column... but not really.
I bumped into Portland State quarterback Dante Chachere at Langdon Farms Golf Club last week. He volunteered to play in a local celebrity golf tournament that benefits children. It was 102 degrees when his group teed off.
The celebrity golfers are “drafted” in the event. Terry Candlish, an entrepreneur in the aerospace testing field, selected Chachere high in the draft and put him on his foursome. Chachere is a skilled golfer. He played well and the team posted a top-five finish, but when I asked Candlish how the day went, golf wasn’t what he led with.
“Very disciplined,” Candlish said.
“Focused and committed to his goals,” he added.
“I’m going to get out to some of his games this year and support him,” he said.
Chachere is a senior. He’s started 22 straight games in his college career. He already has a degree in communications and is working on a post-graduate degree in educational leadership. He also has four brothers, including Andre, who plays safety for the Arizona Cardinals.
On the way out of the golf tournament, Chachere stopped me and said: “Excited for camp.”
Not football camp.
Summer camp.
Camp Exceptional starts on Monday. It’s a summer sports camp that is inclusive, bringing together kids with and without disabilities. My younger brother, Ben, is one of the camp directors. He’s an adapted physical education specialist.
Todd Jacobs, who served eight years in the United States Army, is the other camp director. Jacobs was a specialist in the 82nd Airborne. He also served in the National Guard before diving into special education.
For more than a decade those two guys have carved a week out of their summer and made the 11-hour drive from their homes in Central California. They coordinate the curriculum, assess the campers, assign the teams, set up the stations, and bring the energy. Chachere and his Portland State teammates show up as well. The football players serve as team leaders for the annual camp that started 11 years ago.
Every morning at 8 a.m., the Vikings football players pull into the parking lot at LaSalle High School and spend a few hours helping make the summer special for a group of kids who love them for it.
Some of the campers have visual impairments. Others are on the Autism spectrum. Kids who battle intellectual challenges, hearing issues, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, ADHD, and anxiety will join teams alongside typical kids. By the end of the week, the campers and their team leaders are the best of friends.
“IF IT DOESN’T CHALLENGE YOU…!!!” my younger brother shouts through a bullhorn every summer.
“…IT DOESN’T CHANGE YOU!!!” the campers shout back.
Decide for yourself which part of the camp you find most inspiring. I love watching my little brother do what he was born to do — help kids discover the best version of themselves. I marvel at the patience and dedication of Jacobs, the soldier turned soft-hearted PE specialist. And glassy-eyed parents of the campers approach me and my wife every year and say things such as: “All we ever wanted for our child was to feel included.”
That gets me — every time.
But you know what makes my knees buckle?
Seeing those Portland State football players come through the gates on the first morning of camp. Then, watching coach Bruce Barnum’s players warm up alongside campers. Then, seeing them bring the hype all week, helping turn those teams of a half-dozen children who arrive as strangers into something resembling a family.
One year, I saw John Krahn, a PSU offensive lineman, take a child with a physical challenge by the hand. He led the kid through an obstacle course. Krahn stood nearly 7 feet tall and weighed 395 pounds. The kid must have thought he met a giant.
Another year, I watched as a defensive lineman named Kennedy Freeman chased down a father who was picking up his camper. Freeman wanted to tell the parent how well the kid did that day.
Last year, I saw Ronan Gay, a walk-on defensive back, gather a group of PSU freshmen who were volunteering at the camp for the first time. Gay implored his new teammates to bring their absolute best energy.
Chachere?
He was there in 2023. Same, as the two years before that. In fact, on Monday, Portland State’s starting quarterback will do what a handful of other Viking players have done over the years — he will have attended his fourth straight Camp Exceptional. Some of the PSU players have even offered to come back after their eligibility is up.
Chip Kelly told me once that every successful football program needs a group of players who understand the mission, goals, and core beliefs of the enterprise. He called them “culture keepers.” It’s why Kelly tried to surround himself in the NFL with former Oregon players such as Kenjon Barner and Kiko Alonso.
Chachere is one of the many culture keepers of Camp Exceptional. So are former campers who have aged out. The camp serves children ages 5-15. More than a third of the volunteers who will assist with running the camp next week are former campers themselves. Over the years, athletes at Clackamas Community College, the University of Portland, and several high schools have volunteered as well.
Not everyone is going to love this Sunday column. I doubt it will be read by people who only want to know what’s going to happen to the Pac-12 or those who want to immerse themselves in the football world of the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, SEC, or Mountain West.
There’s no NIL or transfer portal business in this column. There’s no preseason bowl prediction here. There are no juicy media rights details, either. The closest I can offer on that front is that when Bob Thompson, the retired head of Fox Sports Networks heard about Camp Exceptional, he and his wife sent a donation to help fund it. And that Cal outside linebacker Myles Williams called and asked if he and another interested teammate could fly in some time and volunteer.
I get it.
You come to me for sports commentary and reporting. This column is wearing a disguise. It has some football in it, sure. Portland State’s players are part of the camp. The campers end up the biggest PSU football fans in the land. But the dirty little secret is that Camp Exceptional isn’t a sports camp.
It’s a relationship camp.
No iPads. No cell phones. No video games. Sorry, kiddos. But if you happen to drop by LaSalle High next week between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon, settle into the football bleachers, and close your eyes you’ll hear nothing but the sweet sound of summer.
Chachere knows what I’m talking about.
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John, please keep bringing great human stories like this one. Life isn’t all about the sports on the field.
Once again, John your able to bring out the things that are really important to all us. We must never forget to give back to those who aren't as fortunate as we are. I relate first hand to your email Sunday. I was raised in an Orphanage. My brother and I didn't know what it was like to have grandparents or a Mom and Dad. Our 1 week 🏕 ⛺️ camping trips each summer ☀️ was the highlight for both of us. Our very first football game was to see the Colorado Buffaloes, in Boulder Colorado. They the Buffaloes had big brother day for us Orphan kids. The lesson we learned was to give back to those who are less fortunate then yourself. The catholic nuns taught us well, in that regards. We both took that lesson learned and continued to move it forward. Thank you 😊 once again.