MOOSEHEART, IL – Everywhere he went on the Mooseheart campus on Friday, Jarrett Payton had the same things to say: work hard, study, do your best, take school seriously.

And while some just say those things because they sound good, Payton spoke from personal experience and family legacy when he uttered those admonishments.

Jarrett Payton is the 27-year old son Chicago Bears great, the late Walter Payton, the Hall of Fame running back who retired from pro football in 1987 as the greatest rusher in league history. Walter Payton’s sporting legacy, beyond those numbers, is of a player who worked harder than the rest. And that is a characteristic he passed to his son.

“That’s what my dad was all about,” Payton said. “I had a chance to learn from one of the best at it. My dad was such a hard worker. He wasn’t the fastest. He wasn’t the strongest and he wasn’t the biggest. But he worked the hardest. People say that his workout regimen in the summer was similar to what the Navy Seals do. The hills that he ran and the stuff that he did – he was serious about his craft.”

Off the field, Walter Payton was known as someone who gave generously in love and money to the community and his family. In continuing that legacy, Jarrett Payton is also more than just a blood relative of his father.

“He taught me life lessons that I take now,” Payton said. “My dad passed away in 1999. I believe that the things that he was teaching me at a young age were getting me to a point where I was ready to be a man. I think, in his heart, maybe knew he wasn’t going to be around for a long time. So he felt he had to teach me things at a young age because he wasn’t going to be there. I think he did a good job.”

In coming to Mooseheart for the first time, Jarrett Payton came into contact with a group of children for whom life has dealt some difficult circumstances. At some point, each of the 240 residents of the Child City has suffered some family hardship. Jarrett Payton walked and talked with many of the Mooseheart students who are on-campus this summer. And he told them at each of the many stops he made on a comprehensive campus tour that he understood what they were going through. “Everyone who talked to me about their situation and why they’re here is different,” Payton said. “But they are so aware of the opportunity that is in front of them. That is what I think is awesome. They understand where they’re at and the possibilities of being successful and achieving goals.”

And his smile showed Payton loved every minute of his time at Mooseheart.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “It’s something that’s brought so much joy to me. I love talking to kids who I feel can learn from my experiences, the hardships I’ve gone through. And they can learn that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your last name is, we all go through hard times. It’s how we persevere through those hard times and how hard we work through those hard times that make us who we are.”

Payton started his tour at the Mooseheart Fieldhouse, where he talked to the football players who are on-campus and got to meet Red Ramblers football coach and Superintendent of Education Gary Urwiler. Payton toured the fieldhouse and football field and then took a van tour of the campus.

He stopped to visit a pair of residence homes, met with two more groups of children and left over three hours later with a very full understanding what Mooseheart is and also about the Moose fraternity which supports the children who live there. “They know that this place is the place that’s putting them on-track,” Payton said. “That’s wonderful. You can tell that they’re passionate about being here. It shows when we are driving around and they’re telling me the history of the campus and everything they want to show me. You can tell that they’re interested and that they love being here.”

Payton’s own football career is at a crossroads. A graduate of the University of Miami (FL), Payton played the 2005 NFL Europe season with Amsterdam, then played the 2005 NFL campaign with the Tennessee Titans. In 2007, Payton played for the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes.

“I’ve gotten to see the world playing football,” Payton said.

Montreal released Payton this spring and despite interest from a handful of NFL teams, he is unsure if he will be playing this season. But as a new resident of Oswego, Payton is a in the geographic neighborhood of the Child City. And he maintained that Friday’s visit won’t be his last.

“I’m right down the street,” Payton said. “Hopefully I’ll get picked up in the next couple of weeks to go play football. But if I’m not, I’ll be around here. And since Mooseheart is just down the street, I can still come by.”

Mooseheart Child City & School is a 1,000-acre community and school for children and teens in need of a secure home, located just south of Batavia, IL, between Illinois Route 31 and Randall Road.

Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations - the great majority of which come from the 1.3 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization, in more than 1,800 Lodges and 1,600 Chapters located throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda. Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus.

Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, religious and vocational training, and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.

Mooseheart students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA or better (4.0=A) are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship funding, covering tuition, room and board in an amount comparable to that required for an in-state student at an Illinois public university.

Mooseheart is currently home to nearly 250 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a fully functioning branch of Fifth Third Bank.

In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville, FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $90 million worth of community service programs annually.

Founded in 1888, the Moose organization has long offered its members an opportunity to do good for others while celebrating life, with family, social, and sporting activities. For more information on the Moose organization, visit the websites at www.Mooseintl.org and www.Mooseheart.org or call 630-966-2229.