Former OLSH football standout Isiah Neely gives back to community
CORAOPOLIS ― Before his short stint as a professional athlete in the Arena Football League, before he was a standout running back at Slippery Rock University, and even before he was a student at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart high school, Isiah Neely says he was just a kid who loved nothing more than getting together with his community.
A Coraopolis native, Neely says some of his favorite moments from his childhood took place each summer during Coraopolis' Community Days event. Like the good times, Neely also remembers the heartbreak he felt when the event stopped taking place ― And how it motivated him to make a difference.
"I remember being so sad when they stopped having it," Neely told the Times in an interview earlier this week. "I was just a kid, before I was even in high school, and I told my mom that when I grew up, I wanted to help bring it back."
Last summer, Neely delivered on that promise. A partnership between his business ― Rise Above Sports Training and Skill Development ― and Fit For Life led to the creation of Coraopolis Summer Jam, a new, "reinvented" version of the weekend festival Neely grew up loving.
With some experience under his belt, Neely went bigger in 2022, adding more events and entertainment to this year's Summer Jam, which was held last weekend at Shelly Y l. Jones Memorial Park and OLSH High School.
"It was awesome," Neely said. "I knew it was going to be a bit more work, but it was well worth it. I think everyone there had a ton of fun. We had probably three times the amount of people that came last year."
Summer Jam 2022 was centered around a six-team, two-day basketball tournament that included some of the area's top athletes. As local standouts like Quaker Valley's Markus Frank, Moon Area's Elijah Guillory and Aliquippa's Quentin Goode battled it out on the court, hundreds of others were able to stop by, enjoy the action along with more than a few side attractions.
"We had 12 different food and clothing vendors there on Saturday," Neely said. "There were also things for young kids like a bounce house and face painting."
The event concluded indoors on Sunday due to a threat of poor weather. While there was less to do than the day prior, Neely says the crowd's presence was still strong. One of the few hundreds to stop by was Buffalo Bills defensive back Dane Jackson ― a Coraopolis native and childhood friend of Neely's.
The tournament concluded by a team comprised of primarily Coraopolis natives taking home first place. Although last summer's event got Summer Jam up and running, Neely says he felt like this past weekend was when he truly delivered on his promise.
"It was really special," Neely said. "This was always something I wanted to do. It's mind blowing to see the growth we had in one year. It gets me even more excited for what will come next year."
Contact Noah Hiles at nhiles@gannett.com. Follow him on twitter @_NoahHiles.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Former OLSH football standout Isiah Neely gives back to community
