North Jersey student-athlete honored at ESPN ESPYs for his off-field efforts

Bergen County resident Conor Campbell, who has worked to offer Trenton youth an affordable enrichment program after school, was honored Thursday night with the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at ESPN’s ESPY Awards.

At the ESPYs, ESPN honors the best male and female athletes and teams in every sport, in addition to winners of the Sports Humanitarian Awards.

Campbell's enrichment program in Trenton includes tutoring, sports activities, youth development, mentoring, and more.

“It will be great for me to walk the red carpet with the greatest athletes in the sports world at the ESPYs,” Campbell told NorthJersey.com before the awards ceremony aired. “But what I’m really excited about is to hear how the many winners of the ESPN Sports Humanitarian Awards have used sports to make a positive impact on society.”

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Campbell, an Englewood Cliffs resident and graduate of Bergen County Technical Schools in Teterboro, plays soccer at The College of New Jersey, just north of Trenton. He was selected by United Soccer Coaches twice as an All-American. He aspires to be a Major League Soccer player.

Despite his success, Campbell sees a higher calling for his profession. “It is not just about the winning and losing blur, rather the power of sports to act as a catalyst and change communities,” he said.

Campbell turned his attention toward Trenton after Greg Grant, a former NBA player, started Greg Grant’s Academic Sports Academy to give back to the Trenton community. Grant inspired Campbell and the two teamed up.

“Every child growing up should have an equal opportunity to an affordable safe haven where they could go to after school to get their homework completed and play sports and socialize with their peers,” said Campbell.

Campbell sees Greg Grant’s Academic Sports Academy as a solution.

“This enrichment program addressed the social issue by being a safe environment where parents could send their kids, get their homework completed, get the help and extra tutoring they need, play sports, and learn life skills without having to go out and get a second job to afford it,” said Campbell.

Valuable life lessons through sports

Campbell takes a leadership role by mentoring the kids and playing sports with them, and he wants to be someone the kids can look up to and gain hope for the future.

“My work with the kids in Trenton is very important to me because it allows me to use the gifts and talents that God has given me to serve others and have a positive impact on the lives and experiences of the kids in Trenton,” said Campbell.

“I have definitely seen a big improvement in the students’ attitudes toward learning and they seem to be improving with the amount of knowledge that they are retaining,” said Campbell, who hears from the students that they are doing better in school.

“I have built a strong relationship with the students that I am tutoring and mentoring,” said Campbell. “We look forward to seeing each other each day and sharing our ups and downs in the classroom.”

Campbell sees sports as an important teaching vehicle in kids' lives.

“If a kid plays on a sports team, she or he will learn some valuable life lessons," he said. "If coached and taught right, she or he will learn that life is not just about her or him but also about others, teamwork, being committed, being on time, being responsible, making sacrifices, and being competitive,” said Campbell.

With the award, ESPN will donate $10,000 to Greg Grant's Academic Sports Academy.

Campbell said he will use the award and experience to contact corporations, athletes, coaches, vendors and others to partner with them to secure equipment, funding, guest speakers and tutors to “make the experience of the inner city kids the best that it can be.”