Sep 25, 2015 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Quinton Aaron, who starred in the hit movie “The Blind Side,” visited Waynesburg University Friday to discuss his foundation’s anti-bullying initiatives and to film a short video for a new program designed to inspire young people to achieve their dreams.

Aaron rose to prominence after the release of the 2009 movie that portrayed the personal struggles of football player Michael Oher, along with the generosity of a family from Memphis, Tenn., that took him in and helped him to become a starter in the NFL.

Aaron’s own personal journey aligned closely with Oher’s story, which he said helped him for the role and also gave him a platform to support others in need.

“It was easy to pull some of those emotions for the character from the things that I went through,” Aaron said. “We had different stories, but similar emotions.”

He was on campus Thursday night and Friday morning talking to students about bullying and promoting the “Beating the Odds Foundation” started by Rocco Scalzi, who works closely with former Steelers running back Rocky Bleier to spread inspirational messages to kids. The foundation’s “Quarterbacks of Life” program reaches out to schools across the country, including four of the five school districts in Greene County.

Scalzi learned about Aaron’s inspirational story after the movie was released and asked him five years ago to speak to students.

“I told him I wanted to get onboard and the rest is history,” Aaron said.

Scalzi said students can relate to Aaron and the hurdles he overcame to achieve his goals. They were in Blair County earlier this week speaking to students there.

“They can do Quinton’s story. They can do any story,” Scalzi said. “Who were the team players who helped them get to where they are today? His own story shows that ‘never give up’ attitude.”

Aaron is now promoting anti-bullying efforts through his “Quinton Aaron Foundation” and said the partnership with Beating the Odds helped both organizations.

“I feel that both initiatives are one in the same,” Aaron said. “The kids who are victims of bullying are the people who need that guidance or need to be inspired to go for their dreams.”

The video shoot Friday morning was for a “stepping stone” program available to teachers in school districts that use the Quarterbacks for Life model. The intro video will be available online to teachers if they choose to share the foundation’s resources in the classroom or during extracurricular activities.

Waynesburg University senior public relations student Megan Bayles worked with Aaron during the video shoot after working on other projects with Beating the Odds in the past. She enjoyed the chance to work with a professional actor spreading an important message.

“It’s an opportunity to get experience,” Bayles said. “This is kind of the icing on the cake.”

After filming, Aaron walked over to a large crowd of students gathered in the commons behind Miller Hall and spoke at length with them and posed for photos.

His acting career is continuing and he expects three more movies to be released early next year. Aaron also plans to act in three other movies that will be filmed next year.

“I have a lot of work coming up,” he said.