TAMPA, Fla. - How do you get a group of kids to pay attention?

Try sticking a Tampa Bay Buccaneer in front of them.

It’s fun to stay at the YMCA thanks to the Tampa Bay Bucs. Children from the Y’s Youth Relief Care program were treated to a series of videos led by Buccaneer players.

“Let’s come up with a creative, fun way to engage our kids in physical fitness,” said Sarah Hays, Executive Director of Before and After School Enrichment. “We were able to reach out to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers foundation and they were able to provide us these amazing fitness videos for our kids.”

From basic running to yoga poses to lunges, kids ran through the paces.

“It’s really cool to do workouts with the Bucs,” said participant Giovani Perez. “And the workouts that they do are, like, hard, but it helps your body.”

And it helps these large football players show off a softer side.

“It just shows their community impact and the fact that they’re willing to not only help our kids, but our families,” Hays said.

“It means a lot to me,” Perez said. “So that kids can grow up to be strong and healthy.”

With his school shutdown, Perez has had to find creative ways to stay in shape. He misses school, mainly his friends.

“I would always play basketball with them, plays cards with them, play games with them,” he said.

Now, he gets to play with the Bucs.

“You saw the smiles on their faces, they were engaged. It’s, again, another fun way to get our kids active through fitness,” Hays said.

It’s been a challenge in these trying times. The Coronavirus has changed everyday life. For a brief moment though, the Bucs helped this group feel like kids again.

“If we can take their minds off of what’s happening out in the real world for a few minutes out of the day,” Hays said, “it goes a long way.”