A longtime local football coach has started a new non-profit foundation to provide underprivileged youth with athletic education and training through camps, programs and scholarships.

The Coach Minock Varsity Club Foundation was founded by Jeff Minock, who has 28 years of coaching experience. He was born and raised in Howell and was a quarterback coach and offensive coordinator at both Howell and Brighton High Schools, as well as a coach at Concordia University in Ann Arbor. The Foundation will be holding free sports camps starting in 2020 as well as different clinics for coaches.
Despite traveling out of state a lot, Minock says his roots remain local and that’s where he wants to help people. He works in the trucking industry and formerly owned Time Out Bar & Grill in Howell and says he didn’t realize what an epidemic single motherhood is.

Minock says in reviewing the schedule one day he noticed that of their 21 employees, 17 were single moms and that’s when he really realized what a problem there is and that there are people in the community that could really use this kind of help. He says all were extremely hard workers but when it comes to coughing up $400 for their kid to play junior football, or whatever the cost is now, that’s a big price to pay for a lot of people - not to mention the shoes and equipment they have to buy to get the kid through the season.

Minock says they’re in the process of building an application that should be available online next spring, prior to the typical start of sporting seasons. He says they’ll try to help out as many kids as they can and the Foundation board will review applications and select those with the most need. The Foundation will host its 2nd annual golf outing on August 16th, although that event is already full. Another outing is planned next year, along with free sports camps for kids that include football and baseball and possibly basketball and wrestling.

Minock says they also plan to host clinics so that coaches could come out and learn different drills and techniques, practice organization and how to be more efficient in what they do – adding they have a number of experienced coaches willing to come out and help and give back to those who are just starting out. More information can be found on the Foundation's website and that link is provided. The complete interview with Minock will be featured on WHMI’s Viewpoint program which will air on Sunday morning at 8:30. (JM)