Now that the NFL season has ended, linebacker Chris Draft has the opportunity to come home to Orange County and give back to the community where he grew up. Draft, a 1994 graduate of Valencia High School and Anaheim native, along with his Chris Draft Family Foundation and Olive Crest, has invited youth from the Orange County area to participate in A Discussion and a Movie, featuring the hit film “The Blind Side.”

On Saturday, February 27 at 9:15 a.m. at the AMC 30 at the Block in Orange, Calif., youth were invited to a private showing of “The Blind Side,” which is nominated for Best Picture at the 2010 Academy Awards. Following the movie, Draft lead a discussion of the film, highlighting the theme of key character traits throughout the movie. After the event, each attendee was asked to participate in an essay contest, with the winners getting the opportunity to have dinner with Draft. The attendees were asked to write a one-page essay and submit it to their school administrators. The students, known as “Draft’s Picks,” were selected because of their leadership, academic, extracurricular activities and community service.

May of the youths in attendance are those in foster care, which is something that hits home with Draft, as his mother, Rose Draft, has worked in Orange County Social Services for the past 20 years. One of the goals Draft had in mind when starting the Chris Draft Family Foundation was to reduce the number of youths in the social service system.

“The Blind Side” is based on a true story which depicts the story of Michael Oher, a teenager who is surviving on his own, virtually homeless, when he is spotted on the street by Leigh Anne Tuohy.  Learning that the young man is one of her daughter’s classmates, Leigh Anne insists that Michael—wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the dead of winter—come out of the cold. Without a moment’s hesitation, she invites him to stay at the Tuohy home for the night. What starts out as a gesture of kindness turns into something more as Michael becomes part of the Tuohy family, despite the differences in their backgrounds.