Caring Coronado freshman puts best feet forward
They should have known that when 9/11 struck terror into this nation and Nick Paris put on his official little police uniform to set up a lemonade stand with his older sister, there was something special about him.
They raised $120 that afternoon and sent the money to a widow of a policeman killed in the attack.
Nick was 6.
Fortunate is the person who meets Einstein's challenge about putting back into the world at least the equivalent of what one takes from it.
Paris is ahead of the game. He has done more for others than many will in a lifetime.
He is an old and wise 14 now.
Paris also is a defensive end on Coronado High's freshman football team, and I have no idea if he is quick off the edge or can't play a lick.
Don't care, either.
He enjoys the game but is passionate about serving. He gives. He cares.
"My dad taught me a long time ago about the importance of helping others," Nick said. "He taught me to do right by others."
He is a friend to the elderly ...
The World War II veteran in Boulder City began to weep when telling his story as a pilot who was shot down and became a prisoner of war.
Nick approached his coaches about having his youth football team visit the elderly on a few occasions, this specific time two years ago.
The veterans thanked the boys for their interest, their time, their kindness.
"The man who cried was grateful men like him were not forgotten," Nick said. "He was an incredible man who played a big part in the freedoms we have today."
He is a friend to those most bullied ...
I'm not sure you could find a better quality in a young man, an athlete, a kid who never has to worry about being liked. Nick is a spokesperson for SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere), which promotes acceptance.
I know you can't find one, because there are few weaker traits in a child than those who torment the feeblest among them.
"(SAVE) has totally changed the way I look at others," Nick said. "If I see another kid who is alone all the time, I try and befriend him, learn about him, tell him about me.
"It makes both our lives better. The best part is, I make a new friend. Sometimes, others need you to speak for them, to make sure they are also heard."
He is a friend to the needy ...
If you see a young man walking up and down the sidelines of youth sports games locally, dragging a wagon behind him filled with shoes, there is a good chance it is Nick Paris.
He began the program Cleats for Kids last year after realizing how many families couldn't afford to purchase shoes for their children.
So he began to post fliers at local fields throughout the valley, telling others to watch for him and his wagon on Saturday mornings.
He collects the shoes, washes and disinfects them, replaces the laces and any screws that have come off and redistributes them.
Nick and his little brother Brandon have collected and fixed hundreds of pairs of cleats. They want to collect thousands more.
"I'm sure a lot of kids are told about the importance of community service, but then it has to be them who want to make the effort," said Clarke Paris, Nick's father and a police sergeant in his 25th year with Metro. "Nick follows through. It comes from his heart. There is no other explanation for all of it."
There was the Prudential Spirit of Community Award and the Jefferson Award for community service last spring, both earning Nick trips to Washington, D.C. He was a member of the junior honor society and takes all advanced-placement classes. His dream is to attend the Naval Academy and fly jets.
But it's how he speaks about serving others that is most impressive. He is thoughtful. Persuasive. Far beyond how you might assume someone 14 would sound.
He once visited a retirement home, where an 80-year-old man who once played football was stricken with severe arthritis and struggled to walk. Nick told his father he wanted to arrange for the residents to attend a game, but the home couldn't arrange for a bus in time.
Nick instead delivered autographed hats and jerseys to the home.
"I can't imagine not being able to play football, not being able to run," Nick said back then. "Wouldn't it be great if they could come to a game and smell the grass and hear the crunching of pads and remember what it was like?"
Nick Paris plays high school football.
I have no idea if he is any good.
Don't care, either.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He also can be heard weeknights from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on "The Sports Scribes" on KDWN-AM (720) and www.infernosportsradio.com.
