Falcons Giving Back: Corey Peters

Falcons owner Arthur Blank places a high priority on serving the community, and Falcons players gladly live up to his expectations. During the season, the Falcons participate in organized service activities--they visit local schools to encourage kids to be physically active, they work with Rooms to Go to bring joy to deserving children through room renovations, and much more. Many Falcons players also selflessly give back during the offseason of their own accord. Defensive tackle Corey Peters is one of those players.

On July 13, 2013, Peters will host his first annual Peak Performance Skills Camp at Central High School Football Stadium--Peters' alma mater--in Louisville, Kentucky. The camp is free to all participants, and 300 local youth, ages 11 to 16, are expected to participate.

Peters, a third round draft pick out of Kentucky in 2010, was also active in community service efforts in college. He was nominated for the prestigious Wuerffel Trophy, awarded each year to honor a college football player who exemplifies the ideal of serving others, as well as academic and athletic performance. While at Kentucky, Peters spent time in schools reading with children, and visiting children's hospitals, all of which prepared him well for life as an Atlanta Falcon.

In addition to the Peak Performance Skills Camp, Peters has volunteered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Rally Foundation, which supports research to cure childhood cancers, as well as other non-profit groups. As an education major, Peters also enjoys participating in the Falcons' efforts at local schools. Peters was selected by the Falcons as their 2011 Walter Payton Man of the Year award nominee--the most significant award in the NFL for community service--for his efforts to benefit others off the field.

In a conversation with former Falcons linebacker Coy Wire about giving back, Peters summed up his philosophy on service, saying, "We were put in this position to be much more than football players. I think football is kind of a vehicle. It gives us a platform to get a kid to stop and listen to us for a minute."

The theme for the inaugural year of Peters' Peak Performance Skills Camp is "Practice Primes Potential," and the objective for all 15 current and former NFL players who will be involved in the camp is to not just teach attendees about football, but to mentor the students who attend, and empower them to reach their goals, in football and in life. The camp emphasizes football fundamentals, as well as self-discipline, sportsmanship, respect and teamwork--valuable qualities on and off the field.