Quarterback Lends Helping Hand To Children In Need
10/10/2008 8:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 10, 2008
By Matt Bixenstine, Athletics Media Relations Staff
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland football player Jordan Steffy discovered a lot about himself during that impressionable four-year crash course in teenaged personal growth known as high school.
As a standout quarterback and all-state honoree for Conestoga Valley High in Leola, Pa., he soon determined the continuation of his football career at the collegiate level was inevitable, and the Terrapins ultimately became the beneficiary of that realization when he signed a letter of intent in 2004.
Equally important, though, Steffy also learned his satisfaction arose as much from helping others as it did from perfecting a tight spiral. Altruism, it turned out, was remarkably contagious for the prep football star.
"Back in high school we did a fundraiser for a classmate with epilepsy and the boy was able to get the surgery that he needed," said Steffy of his first true taste of the power of good deeds. "The impact that it made on his life made me realize that I wanted to do something on a larger scale. I knew I wanted to have a positive effect on more lives."
That event during Steffy's high school days, coupled with his inherently ambitious and giving nature, provided the impetus for the creation of `Children Deserve a Chance', a foundation the quarterback developed in 2004 to aid disabled and underprivileged youth. Now in its fifth-year of operation, the foundation has raised more than $50,000 this year alone for the sake of children in need, focusing its efforts on providing scholarships and supporting children with epilepsy, among other initiatives.
While scaffolding continues to surround portions of Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium during the ongoing renovation of Tyser Tower, Steffy has his sights set on a different construction project expected to break ground in the near future. His foundation is nearing fulfillment of its ultimate goal - the creation of a developmental youth center near Steffy's hometown in Lancaster, Pa.
Set to open by the end of the 2008-09 school year, the foundation's developmental youth center will provide an opportunity for as many as 50 underprivileged children to have a place to go after school and during the summer to learn and have fun while in a structured environment.
"A lot of the kids are from poverty-stricken areas and really need our help," Steffy said. "We want to give these kids the same opportunity that the kids at the private schools and at the best public schools are getting. It's all about evening the playing field, and making sure these kids have equal opportunities."
Steffy, for one, knows firsthand about capitalizing on opportunities. Despite battling injuries through much of his collegiate career, the senior signal-caller has been a valuable contributor to Maryland's football program during the last five seasons. After playing in six games as a true freshman in 2004, Steffy served a redshirt season in 2005 and occupied a reserve role during the 2006 season.
Earning the opportunity to start under center as a junior in 2007, Steffy guided the Terps to a 3-2 record before being sidelined with a concussion that resulted in him playing sparingly the remainder of the season. Still, the fifth-year played finished the year with career-highs in virtually every offensive category, completing 70 of 104 passes for 686 yards and two touchdowns.
After graduating this past May with a degree in kinesiology, Steffy had to decide whether to return for his final year of eligibility with the Terps or leave Maryland to pursue other interests.
"I've never quit or not completed something that I've started, so it wasn't a tough decision," said Steffy who is completing a master's of real estate development degree this year while playing football. "Obviously, being able to get a graduate degree when I am done here was also attractive, but it's also important for me to finish this chapter of my life."
Fully recovered from last season's concussion, Steffy excelled during preseason camp and emerged as the team's No. 1 quarterback entering the 2008 season, earning his sixth career start when the Terps played host to Delaware Aug. 30 in their season-opener. However, Steffy's final season at Maryland was put on hold when he suffered a fractured thumb during the third quarter of the game against the Blue Hens.
Steffy, who recently celebrated his 23rd birthday, is currently rehabbing his thumb in hopes of returning to the field soon. In the meantime, though, the senior leader has refused to accept a woe-is-me outlook, remaining upbeat and continuing to help his teammates however possible.
"The fact is Jordan's going through tough times right now, and yet is still doing everything in his power to help our football team," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. "That speaks volumes to me about what type of character this kid is and what type of team player he is.
"The perseverance, the courage, the toughness, the smile he keeps on his face and positive attitude with all that he's going through - he has nothing but my admiration," Friedgen said.
Those qualities recently resulted in recognition for Steffy. Last week the quarterback was selected to the 2008 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his tireless community involvement. He represents one of 22 individuals chosen for the team from the more than 50,000 football student-athletes at all four-year collegiate institutions based on their exemplary charity work.
Following the conclusion of his football career, Steffy has a number of short-to-long-term goals in mind, ranging from completing his graduate degree to establishing a career in real estate to maintaining involvement in the sport he loves, potentially as a tutor for aspiring quarterbacks.
But regardless of where the Maryland quarterback's future leads him, one thing is for certain - Steffy and his `Children Deserve a Chance' foundation undoubtedly will continue to help underprivileged youth for a long time to come.
