It was a fun day on the field at The Bolt last Saturday morning.
The Chargers, in partnership with Easterseals, hosted the Snoop Special Stars football clinic, where more than 200 special needs children and young adults participated in a variety of skills and drills on the Chargers practice field.
And they did it with the help of a couple special guests.
Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey was among the coaches of the clinic, as were members of the USA Track and Field team that were in town.
The hype was high all around.
"It was really cool," Chargers Senior Manager of Partnership Management Blaine Swan said. "The kids were having a ton of fun from start to finish, they were engaged with every drill, the coaches kept them excited and energized. A lot of good energy the entire event, it was great."
McConkey added: "It's so cool getting here and hanging out with the kids as well as spending time with them. I'm glad I was able to use the platform that I have."
The kids cycled between the different stations, including touchdown catches, relay races, flag pulling and more.
Leigh Anne Colbert, the Regional Vice President of Therapy Services at Easterseals, said the opportunity to be able to participate in those drills alongside McConkey and the other coaches definitely made it even more memorable for all involved.
"We are so excited for the kids to have met Ladd McConkey," Colbert said. "It makes the experience even more special.
"Having the U.S. Track Team was an added surprise for us and so exciting and bringing our participants closer to the game and creating unforgettable moments for them," she added.
And giving back to the community was something the Chargers wide receiver didn't hesitate to do, either.
"God's given me this platform, this opportunity so I have to do everything I can to give back to the people that look up to me," McConkey said. "I have to be a good role model and it's really humbling and just cool to come out here.
"Whatever day it is, if I could come out here for an hour and make somebody's day, how easy is that," McConkey added.
Of course with it being a Snoop Special Stars clinic, the man himself showed up as well.
Legendary rapper Snoop Dogg showed up for a little bit and spent time with everyone at the event, taking photos and interacting with everyone on hand.
"It's awesome. When we were meeting him he was talking about how it started off with a very small group of people and grown into what it's grown into today," Swan said. "We have a little over 200 people here out there having fun and showing off who they are.
"It's really cool to see how much of an important mission it is for him and how much it's grown over the last 10 years they've been doing this," he added.
It was an easy connection and impactful event to make for all parties involved as they continue to give back in Southern California through football.
"It's perfect. The connection between here, Easterseals and Snoop Special Stars is too easy to make," Swan said. "As we were signing folks up, there were some who utilized Easterseals' services and those who were Snoop Special Stars. It's an easy synergy between both groups.
"Easterseals obviously is a great partner and they want to do as much as they can in the community," Swan added. "It's really cool to see them at the event. It's an easy connection to make."
