The event, which is a longtime tradition with the school, is intended to bridge the gap between generations by giving junior/senior high students the opportunity to invite a grandparent or a special person to spend an afternoon of quality time with them at school.

In past years, the Bridge the Gap event included a health fair with community partners and service providers invited to share with the students and their special senior information relevant to the senior population including but not limited to hospice, elderly care, dietary needs, health and fitness and more while also being able to blood sugar and cholesterol levels checked along with their blood pressure and more by medical students, area firefighters, EMTs or other medical professionals.

Then the students would enjoy lunch with their special guests before heading into the auditorium for musical entertainment provided by band and choir members and also enjoy a sneak peak of the spring musical “Footloose,” which was scheduled for multiple performances over the weekend.

All that was continued with this year’s event, which was expanded to also include a special literacy and health awareness event which included a community book reading of “B.E.F.A.S.T. Be A Superhero” by Dr. Rajiv Narula and Ayan Narula.

East Liverpool Jr. Sr. High School hosted their annual Bridging the Gap event on Friday at the Potter Field House and auditorium. Former NFL football player Anthony Griggs speaks to juniors Dre’Keim Abercrombie and Xavier Lara at the event. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

The book, which was read by local Toys for Tots Youth Ambassador Aiden Durst, a freshman at East Liverpool High School, is a part of a health initiative on stroke awareness through a partnership with the Children’s Health Literacy Foundation, which has a goal of reaching one million children to teach them how to spot the signs of a stroke so they may be able to help a family member or others in the community get help at the onset of a stroke which could help save a life.

Tatiana Dingle, regional campaign member, Region 4; Karen Torrence, regional campaign manager, Region 1; Valerie Anderson, operations manager, all with Toys for Tots, came from Virginia to support Aiden during his community reading.

Deborah Oberlin, local coordinating officer, Toys for Tots; Sgt. Nycholas Weddington, USMC recruiter; and former NFL player Anthony Griggs also attended the event.

Griggs, who played for The Ohio State University, the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers as the director of player development, enjoyed talking with students, watching the music students’ performance and getting his photo taken with the bust of Lou Holtz inside the Potter Fieldhouse.

Griggs handed out copies of his book “No Excuses-Unleashing Your Full Potential,” which he happily autographed for students and staff.

East Liverpool Jr. Sr. High School hosted their annual Bridging the Gap event on Friday at the Potter Field House and auditorium. Aiden Durst, junior, Toys for Tots Youth Ambassador, and former NFL football player Anthony Griggs hold copies of the book “B.E.F.A.S.T. Be A Superhero” by Dr. Rajiv Narula and Ayan Narula, which Aiden read during the literacy program. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

He spoke with juniors Dre’Keim Abercrombie and Xavier Lara about college, athletics, responsibility and taking care of themselves, and took time to answer their questions.

Griggs said after meeting Oberlin the two of them worked together on multiple events to benefit youth and it was through working with her that he heard of East Liverpool and Toys for Tots. He said that while at a national Toys for Tots convention he got to see a lot of what goes on behind the scenes and it meant something different to him and gave him an understanding of community and people who volunteer.

“So when they asked me, I thought I could take half a day and come here to the high school and see it and see a community and when I first came, I was like, ‘man this thing is cool, this is nice,'” Griggs said. “The kids in the band are phenomenal, and I went to see the play. When you go see the kids’ play you see the work they put into it and so you have the reading, you have Toys for Tots, you have the play. It’s amazing.”

Griggs is a part of the Legends Legacy Fund, a non-profit for community, educational and literacy efforts which raises funds to help youth attend concerts, ballets, experience the arts, attend camps and also works to match youth with mentors in their communities who can help them with job or vocation skills.

He is currently working on the development of First Teams, a program which centers around children’s first teams, their families and connecting them to resources to help their children by utilizing professionals who parents can talk to.

East Liverpool Jr. Sr. High School hosted their annual Bridging the Gap event on Friday at the Potter Field House and auditorium. Students check out the Toys for Tots table. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

Oberlin said that Toys for Tots can do toys and books, but they can’t do other stuff that communities need such as Griggs talking to Dre’Keim and Xavier, which she said is priceless.

Griggs’ advice to the students, “Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Don’t get too high with the highs, don’t get too low with the lows. Just do it because you love to do it and be different. Don’t get caught up in the things you see your other friends doing. Just don’t get caught up in it because it will take you off track. You got to keep yourself different and remember you are not like everybody else.”

East Liverpool Jr. Sr. High School hosted their annual Bridging the Gap event on Friday at the Potter Field House and auditorium. Former NFL football player Anthony Griggs gets his photo taken with a bust of Lou Holtz at the Potter Fieldhouse while he holds copies of his book “No Excuses-Unleashing Your Full Potential” and “B.E.F.A.S.T. Be A Superhero” by Dr. Rajiv Narula and Ayan Narula, which was read by Aiden Durst, junior, Toys for Tots Youth Ambassador, during the literacy program. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

East Liverpool Jr. Sr. High School hosted their annual Bridging the Gap event on Friday at the Potter Field House and auditorium. Aiden Durst, junior, Toys for Tots Youth Ambassador, reads “B.E.F.A.S.T. Be A Superhero” by Dr. Rajiv Narula and Ayan Narula, during the literacy program. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)