Some life-size stickers of football star Rob Gronkowski in his New England Patriots uniform adorn the walls of the workout gym at the Renaissance Campus, a West Seneca treatment facility for young people fighting addiction problems.
And on Friday, residents will be able to compare the real item to the sticker, as the big tight end will attend the grand opening of the newly renovated facility.
The workout facility, outfitted with about $30,000 worth of top-of-the-line equipment, is a partnership involving the Gronkowski family and its Gronk Nation Youth Foundation, G&G Fitness, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York-New Jersey High Intensity Drug Area program and the Buffalo Bills Youth Foundation.
And though they probably don't know it, a few area drug dealers also kicked in some money for the project.
"One of the sources for this project is money seized from drug dealers," said Dale M. Kasprzyk, resident agent in charge of the Buffalo DEA office. "It makes me feel good to know that money that someone made as profit from the addictions of others will be used to help young kids fight addiction."
The teens who live and get treatment at Renaissance Campus can't wait to meet Gronkowski and start working out on their new weight machines, said Diane Mancuso, a recreation specialist at the campus.
"Oh, God, yes ... they're thrilled," Mancuso told a reporter as installers hired by G&G Fitness set up the new equipment.
"When these kids are on the street, doing drugs, they usually forget all about their bodies and their health," Mancuso said. "All they care about is the drugs. When they come here, one of the things we start them on is working out, exercising and starting to feel good about themselves again. It's all part of the process of recovery."
"We're very excited about this," said Jodie Altman, a program supervisor for the treatment facility funded by the Kids Escaping Drugs organization. "When a kids arrives here, we work on the whole person, body and mind. As they get healthier, it helps them to make positive changes in their lives."
Officials of Kids Escaping Drugs credited Kasprzyk, who has worked closely with the group on drug education initiatives, with coming up with the idea for a new gym and finding the funds for it.
Several months ago, Kasprzyk heard that the Gronkowski family, based in Amherst, was starting a new youth foundation. He reached out to Gordy Gronkowski, who runs G&G Fitness and is the father of five accomplished athletes: Rob, the 23-year-old Pro Bowl tight end who recently signed a $54 million contract; Gordie Jr. , 29, a former pro baseball player who now works with G&G Fitness; Dan, 27, a Cleveland Browns tight end; Chris, 25, a fullback for the Denver Broncos; and Glenn, 19, a scholarship football player at Kansas State University.
"It was perfect timing when Dale called me," Gordy Gronkowski said. "We had started the foundation and were looking for ways to help kids in the community where my sons grew up."
Gronkowski said he has always felt fortunate that none of his sons got into trouble with drugs.
"I always had a code with my sons. If they were out somewhere, and something bad was developing, they could call me and say, 'Dad, I have an earache,'?" he said. "I would come get them right away. I had to go and get them twice over the years."
In a telephone interview, Rob Gronkowski said he and his brothers all grew up with at least a couple of friends whose lives were ruined by destructive drug activity.
"When you're growing up, you need to stay around people who are headed in the right direction and stay away from people who will take you in the wrong direction," Rob Gronkowski said. "I'm very proud to be involved with [Renaissance Campus], where we can help kids do the right thing by staying away from the wrong things."
Similar comments came from Dan Gronkowski.
At the Renaissance Campus, a reporter spoke with three residents - Torie, 18, of Cheektowaga; Nick, 17, of Lancaster; and Chaz, 17, of South Buffalo, all of whom said they plan to use the new workout facility on a regular basis.
"I used to be a dancer and work out all the time. When I was living on the streets, I totally got away from that," said Torie, who spoke on the condition that her full name would not be published. "I was sleeping in cars and laundromats. I've been here four months, and now I am eating healthy and working out."
"I think that coming here saved my life," said Chaz, who said he was a young burglar addicted to prescription painkillers, cocaine and "every other drug I could get my hands on."
"Chaz and I work out every day, and we can't wait for the new workout room to open," said Nick, a former star high school athlete who became addicted to painkillers he was given after suffering a leg injury.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, federal law enforcement agencies like the DEA have recovered almost $12.7 billion from criminals since 1989. Typically, most of that money goes back to police agencies to help them conduct more investigations and arrest more criminals.
