Lafayette assistant football coach John Loose has an 11-year-old daughter who has been battling brain tumors since she was a toddler. Five years ago, the Leopards’ defensive coordinator went on the offensive to raise awareness of and money for pediatric brain tumor research.

In 2003, Loose established Lauren’s First and Goal, a one-day clinic for high school football student-athletes hosted at Lafayette’s Metzger Fields Athletic Complex. What began with nearly 60 volunteer coaches and more than 300 campers has exploded into a multisite operation supported by thousands of campers and hundreds of volunteer coaches.

The 2008 edition of Lauren’s First and Goal camp attracted 246 volunteer coaches and a clinic record 1,633 participants in the June 1 effort that generated $135,000. The charity organization raised an additional $11,000 with the inaugural Lauren’s First and Goal South at the University of South Florida June 8, which attracted 325 participants and 58 volunteer coaches.

Since its inception, Lauren’s First and Goal has generated more than half a million dollars. Nearly every dime goes toward supporting a cause with which Loose is intimately familiar. His daughter Lauren has been suffering from brain tumors since she was 2 years old. She recently had two malignant tumors removed from her spine and just finished seven weeks of radiation.

The camp, Loose said, initially grew out of a desire to do something other than attend and support various fund-raising events. After working a couple of large-scale football camps at Michigan and Ohio State, an idea began taking a shape.

“The Michigan camp is what really gave me the idea. I remember being there thinking I can do this and do it for charity,” he said.

He asked a few coaching friends if they’d be willing to help if he sponsored a one-day camp.

“The first year we had 56 volunteer coaches and 325 kids. We raised $20,000. It just exploded from there.”

The concept is simple. For a minimal $25, participants are put through their paces by college coaches representing all three NCAA divisions. More than just a skills camp, Loose brings in a headline speaker during lunch.

This year, longtime Penn State assistant Jerry Sandusky addressed participants at the Lafayette camp, while several former NFL players spoke at South Florida. Last year, participants heard from former NFL quarterback and current television football analyst Phil Simms. Previous years’ speakers have included New York Jets special teams and defensive coach Ben Kotwica, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and former NFL and collegiate head coach Bobby Ross. The camp’s namesake, Lauren, also addresses the crowd annually.

The camp is open to any high school football student-athlete.

Campers who can donate more than the minimal entry fee do so, Loose said. In addition, the charity attracts outside contributions, corporate donations and sponsorships through the initiative. Although the football camps are the primary fund-raiser for Lauren’s First and Goal, other organizations also have led drives to raise money for the foundation as well. The funds go directly to research, cancer services and family support.

Loose suspected the camp would be popular. If coaches come, kids will come, he said, and if kids will come, then so will coaches.

“This fund-raiser is different than any other because participants are paying for something they were going to pay for anyway,” said Loose. “The difference is it all goes to the charity.”

The addition of a second camp at South Florida this year moved Loose toward his vision of establishing multiple camps around the country and ultimate goal of helping children and their families cope with the challenges of pediatric brain tumors. In fact, he believes that managed correctly, Lauren’s First and Goal, could end up generating millions of dollars for research and, more importantly, help produce a cure.

“In the beginning, it was just to give back, but as we go more and more, you start to think we might be able to find a cure to save Lauren,” said Loose. “Regardless of what happens, eventually we’re going to be able to help find a cure and help a lot of kids. That’s our vision.”

For more information about Lauren’s First and Goal, visit laurensfirstandgoal.org.  

Leilana McKindra can be reached at lmckindra@ncaa.org.