Ricky Sapp Foundation to host free football and cheer camp in Bamberg County

The Ricky Sapp Foundation brought a free football and cheer camp to Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School, giving Bamberg County children a no-cost chance to learn, move and stay connected to a familiar campus. The camp was set for 10 a.m. Saturday and was open to kids ages 6 to 18, with food and giveaways that included a bookbag and a T-shirt.

That matters in a county where access can shape who gets to participate. Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School says it serves the Bamberg and Ehrhardt communities, along with surrounding rural areas, and a free event on school grounds cuts down on some of the cost and travel barriers that can keep families from signing up for youth enrichment activities. For parents, it also offered a supervised summer activity built around sports, structure and local familiarity.

The foundation’s volunteer instructions said helpers were asked to arrive by 7:30 a.m. so the camp could be ready before the 10 a.m. start. That early setup signaled that the event was more than a quick clinic. It was organized to run as a community gathering, with volunteers helping to make sure children had a smooth start and enough support throughout the day.

Ricky Sapp’s own story gives the camp local weight. Born in Bamberg, he attended Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School, where the foundation says he was all-region as a sophomore, all-state as a junior and a USA Today All-American as a senior. He later played at Clemson University before the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

The foundation says its mission is to help kids become their very best and to educate adults that their actions matter. Its fundraising also supports community help beyond sports, including back-to-school giveaways with bookbags and haircuts and Thanksgiving turkey distributions for families in need.

The camp fit into a broader pattern as well. The foundation’s events page says a football and cheer camp was held at Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School on June 7, 2025, and older coverage has said Sapp has hosted youth camps in Bamberg for years, sometimes with help from NFL pros, friends and family. For Bamberg County, that kind of repeated investment gives young athletes a chance to see homegrown success up close and then try to build on it.