Tom Alper
Educator, coach, mentor, father, husband, brother, friend. Tom Alper wore these titles with pride as he lived a life that positively impacted everyone who came to know him.
As a beloved elementary physical education teacher at Elizabeth Forward school district, Tom touched the lives of so many students with his boundless positivity and caring nature. Whether through words of encouragement, attention paid to ensure that every student could participate, or acts of charity unseen by and unknown to most like buying sneakers for students who came to school in tattered shoes, Tom believed that every child should be given the opportunity and the means to enjoy playing sports.
This belief led Tom to the idea of starting the Camp of Champions, a football camp for local-area students with special needs. He also believed that being a teacher was a vocation that was integral to our society, and he relished the opportunity to be a mentor and a steady hand in the lives of his students.
The Start of a Legacy
Through generous donations from family and friends and a partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Camp of Champions has grown and flourished. In 2017, a group consisting of Tom’s family members and close friends decided to formalize Tom’s legacy by creating Alper’s Champions, a non-profit corporation. Alper’s Champions will honor Tom’s legacy in three ways:
The Camp of Champions
A football camp for local-area students with special needs
Tommy's Kicks for Kids
Putting suitable active footwear on students who need them.
Tom Alper Memorial Scholarship
Apply for a scholarship given
in Tom's Memory