Last October, Charlie and Christy Fuller were given news no parent ever wants to hear.
Their son, CJ Fuller, had passed away at the age of 22. The former Easley High standout and Clemson University running back died due to a blood clot lodged in his lung, a complication of knee surgery he underwent the month prior.
Yet as his family continues to grieve, the Fullers have decided to move forward and carry on their son's legacy with the CJ Fuller Foundation.
"Losing our son has been the most devastating thing any of us has experienced" Charlie Fuller told PalmettoPreps.com. "Not a day goes by that we don’t miss his smile, his laugh, his conversations. We knew that even though God called CJ home that his spirit would be with us forever. We had to figure out a way to carry this forward."
One of the foundation's chief components will be a football camp for youth and high school age players, this to honor the game that Fuller, a member of Clemson's national championship team in 2016, adored. The camp will take place on March 29 (high school players) and March 30 (grades 1-8). High school players will have skills and drills during the first portion, then one-on-one drills that night.
Said Charlie Fuller: “We thought about the things he loved, and football was at the top of the list. When he was younger, he spent a lot of time at football camps in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and those camps gave him a chance to compete with some of the best athletes around. We wanted to bring that experience to the community, so naturally we started this camp."
A second aspect of the program relates to academics; the Fuller family has created the CJ Fuller Memorial Scholarship to be awarded to student-athletes from Pickens County who meet certain criteria.
"One of the proudest days of CJ's life was when he graduated from Clemson University," said his father. "The second natural thing was to help make this experience for students so we created this scholarship."
The family also wanted the foundation to have an arm dedicated to being a vehicle to serve others. It's named after Fuller's football jersey number.
"CJ loved the community service projects the team participated in at Clemson, so we introduced a program named Project 27," Charlie Fuller said. "It's focused on getting the youth to dedicate 27 hours to community service. Our goal is to turn it into something so much bigger than us."
Donations can be made to The CJ Fuller Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, here.
Registration for the football camp can be made, and information on the scholarship can be found, at the official website at CJFullerFoundation.org.
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