Syracuse football is opening its doors Tuesday morning to a group that too often gets left on the outside of sports.
The Orange will host a one-hour camp for athletes with disabilities through the Beautiful Lives Project, a nonprofit co-founded by Bryce Weiler in 2017. The idea is simple and powerful: put participants on the field with college athletes and coaches, let them work through football drills, and give them a chance to feel like they belong.
“A lot of these individuals did not have a chance to play Little League tee ball or midget football growing up,” said Tony Gionfriddo, executive director of the organization. “We work with all those, no matter what their ages are, no matter what their disabilities are.
We get them all out there on the field for one hour. They intermingle with the players, the coaches, and they feel like part of a team for one day.”
The Syracuse event was put together through Ryan Kelly, the university’s director of football operations. Gionfriddo had worked with Kelly before, back when Kelly was athletic director at Long Island University, and that connection helped move things along quickly. Syracuse director of player development Stack Williams also helped organize the camp, which will have Orange coaches and select players guiding campers through drills before medals are handed out at the end of the day.
The camp also fits into a busy charitable weekend for Syracuse. Head coach Fran Brown spent Saturday back home in Camden, New Jersey, where he hosted a back to school drive.
Beautiful Lives Project has expanded far beyond its early days. What began with just two or three events a year has grown into 50-60 events annually across the country.
The group has worked with college football programs at Boston College, Maryland, Michigan State and Eastern Illinois, along with events tied to the New York City Ballet, the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Triple Crown softball tournaments and cheerleading programs.
Weiler’s own path is what gave the project its spark.
While at Olney Central Community College, he developed a relationship with women’s basketball coach Clint Burris. Then, when Weiler took summer classes at Evansville in 2009, Burris told men’s basketball coach Marty Simmons about him.
Simmons invited Weiler to sit on the bench, and that experience stretched on for four years. Weiler also did color commentary during that time.
That opportunity turned into a long broadcasting run. Weiler has called at least 160 games, and he even shot pregame free throws on a mic’d up rim so he could tell which part of the basket the ball was hitting during games.
“Sitting on Evansville’s bench changed my life because I was able to experience college basketball and be surrounded by people who wanted to help me to be successful in life,” Weiler said. “Through that experience, I wanted to help others to live their dreams.
“So often when someone has a disability, individuals do not believe they can do things, or they do not want to give them opportunities. I found it’s important to provide these opportunities, because it is something that is lacking.”
Unlike many programs built around children, Beautiful Lives Project events are open to people of all ages. Gionfriddo pointed to one moment at Boston College that stuck with him: a 50-year-old man in a wheelchair, given a football and wheeled across the goal line as the crowd erupted.
“The players were cheering and screaming, and the smile on his face was incredible,” Gionfriddo said. “It’s just the feeling you get when you see these individuals.
The smiles on the faces, the interaction between the participants and the player and coaches. It’s really remarkable.”
Weiler said those moments help athletes understand the reach of their platform and can push them toward causes that matter to them. Gionfriddo said parents have told him their children come away from the events with more confidence.
The organization runs on donations and sponsorships. A recent pickleball tournament brought in more than $20,000 with 96 participants, and Gionfriddo said more media attention has helped the nonprofit connect with potential donors. That support has helped Beautiful Lives Project reach its current pace of 50-60 events a year.
Tuesday’s Syracuse camp will include passing, receiving, hitting dummies and kicking, with participants moving through stations every 10 minutes. The organization usually draws about 100 participants at recent events, though organizers are hoping for around 60 in Syracuse.
Goodie bags and medals are part of the day, and players often stick around afterward to spend time with the attendees.
“Individuals with disabilities are capable of doing anything they dream of doing in their life,” Weiler said. “Someone has to be willing to provide them with an opportunity to achieve their dreams and goals.”
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