Eight schools within the Peace Wapiti School Division (PWSD) will be welcoming a Canadian Football League (CFL) Grey Cup champion this week.

On May 22-24, JR LaRose will be visiting Helen E. Taylor School (Wembley), Penson School (Grovedale), Eaglesham School, Woking School, Rycroft School, R.W. Zahara Public School (Sexsmith), Sexsmith Secondary School and Peace Wapiti Academy as part of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Guest Speaker Series.

“The goal of the FNMI Guest Speaker Series is twofold,” said Darrell Willier, FNMI Education Coordinator at PWSD, who also plans the school tours.

“First, it provides our FNMI students with positive role models that they can identify with from a cultural perspective. Secondly, the guest speakers help to break down negative stereotypes that may still exist regarding FNMI people. We have been fortunate in the past to secure high-calibre guests, including Mr. LaRose, whose achievements have served as an inspiration to everyone. We are pleased to welcome him back to tour additional schools in our district.”

LaRose, a 2011 Grey Cup champion, is a member of One Arrow First Nation and an ambassador for Aboriginal peoples, according to a PWSD release.

“His pathway to success has been a long and hard fought journey that includes a start in low-income housing in Edmonton’s inner city, a father of Nigerian heritage who was deported back to his native country before his birth and a family who struggled with drug addiction and the lingering effects of the residential school system,” the release stated.

“The combined power of sport and the support of a local family led him to a new life that now includes nine seasons with the Canadian Football League (CFL) and more than 400 public speaking engagements throughout North America. He is a gifted speaker whose story of redemption is universal, breaking down racial and generational walls to bring forth a sense of hope and humanity.”

The tour starts Tuesday, May 22, with a visit to Helen E. Taylor School and Penson School.

“I’m excited to share my story as I feel it is relatable to what youth are being faced with on a daily basis,” stated LaRose.

LaRose captured the 2011 Grey Cup with the B.C. Lions.