AUSTIN, Texas — Jonathan Yenga was 10 years old when his father sent him and his mother from Congo to live in America.
As a child, Yenga had been subjected to the horrific realities of war: widespread destruction, death and the rape of young girls, he said.
 Larry Kolvoord/Cox Newspapers David Hart, coordinator for the Team Focus camp in Austin, shows Colton Hinsch how to knot a necktie at Corcordia University. The program helps boys who don't have fathers around. For a larger, high resolution image, click HERE |
Yenga's father arranged for the family to move to Dallas in 2002, Yenga said. His father remains in Congo.
Being separated from his father drew Yenga, now 17, to Team Focus, a leadership program started in 2000 for boys growing up without fathers. Camps are a major feature of Team Focus, but it also has year-round mentoring and tutoring programs.
First, Yenga participated in the camp; now he's a graduate assistant who volunteers with the camp.
"It's great to see these kids out here having fun and to see God blessing them the way he has blessed me," Yenga said.
ESPN football analyst Mike Gottfried, a former college coach, started Team Focus as a charity for boys 10 to 18 who have grown up without a father. Gottfried started the program because his own father died from a heart attack when Gottfried was 11.
Team Focus began in Mobile, Ala., and has spread to 12 cities in several states, including California, Nevada and Florida. The Austin and Dallas chapters are new this year, said David Hart, director of the Texas camps.
"We can't replace their fathers," said Hart, who is based in Mobile. "But we try to level out the playing field a little bit."
Twenty-eight boys were a part of the Austin camp. They stayed at Concordia University Texas but traveled all over town during their visit. Their mornings began with prayer and Bible study; the camp is based on biblical principles, Hart said.
On Saturday, the campers played softball at Lake Travis High School with University of Texas football players Lamarr Houston and Tre Newton before they got a tour of the UT field house. Later, they took classes in etiquette. They also learned something a father would normally teach: how to properly knot a necktie.
Josh Nolan, 27, who works as a coach in the Rockwall area just east of Dallas, is a mentor with Team Focus."It has been life-changing to work with these boys," he said. The mentors can have a lasting impact, Nolan said. Some of the boys have called Gottfried, Hart and Nolan to wish them a happy Father's Day. Also, Team Focus has offered $17,500 in scholarships annually since 2005, Gottfried said.
Typical camps last five days, but the goal of Team Focus is to provide year-round support and mentorship for the boys who are selected to participate in the program. Danny Randle, 14, said that the camp is one of the most important things he does. He's been going to Team Focus camps for six years, and camp organizers have flown him to camps in Detroit and Alabama even though he's from Dallas.
His parents are divorced, and he said he has infrequent contact with his father. "Camp helps me with a lot of problems and gives me experiences my mom couldn't give me," Randle said.
For information, go to the organization's Web site, www.teamfocusonline.org, or call 877-635-0010.
Joshunda Sanders writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: jsanders(at)statesman.com.
