The Chargers lifted the spirits of the John Muir High School football program on Wednesday by hosting nearly 50 players at The Bolt.
The team also announced a $50,000 donation to the program from the Chargers Impact Fund.
More than half of Muir's players were impacted by the Eaton Fire in Altadena last month.
"This has been amazing, the opportunity that we get to see it," said Lance Mitchell, the head coach at Muir. "A lot of these kids have been dreaming to play in the NFL their whole lives. It seems so far off and unattainable.
"To be here, it makes it real. It makes it something that is actually possible," Mitchell added.
The Chargers have Muir's players a tour of the entire facility, including the weight room, locker room, equipment room and cafeteria.
The tour ended in the team meeting room where players each received a swag bag that included workout gear, gloves, shoes and cleats.
Mitchell and his players were surprised in multiple ways in their final stop on the tour, including when Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz and Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh showed up to chat with players for more than 30 minutes.
Harbaugh then gave a 10-plus minute speech to players while highlighting the importance of work ethic, teamwork and gratitude.
Zac Emde, the Chargers Director of Football Development, said Harbaugh's message landed home with players.
"Coach is always the star of the show so we loved having him be able to come down and talk to them," Emde said. "His life lessons outside of football are so impactful for these kids that were able to come in and listen to him."
Emde later added: "Him just being so authentic … with a group that's really needing people to support them and kind of wrap their arms around them, there's no better person to be talking to them than Coach."
Mitchell, a former football player and a 2007 graduate of Muir, said Wednesday's visit was a boost during what has been a traumatic month.
"It's hard to lose everything," Mitchell said. "To have somebody talk to you and give you grace, it's what we needed."
Mitchell also described the events that took place in January when the fire wiped out Altadena and parts of Pasadena.
"Unlike the other times we had fires, it did reach our neighborhood. And it took it out," Mitchell said. "The neighborhood that I grew up in, that some of my players live in, is gone. There's nothing there."
He later added: "The silver lining is how our community has come together in these times. It's been really special and something I've never experienced. We are a really close community and the degree of separation of people in the area … everybody knows everybody."
Emde said the Chargers goal was to provide short-term help with Wednesday's visit while also focusing on a long-term vision with the monetary donation.
"So many of the athletes and their families and that entire community were heavily impacted by the fires there," Emde said. "One of our biggest priorities being a football team is that we want to figure out what high schools were severely impacted and how we can help.
"Just make sure that they're able to have a program this next fall and everything that goes into the spring that they're trying to do here," Emde added. "All that [gear] is going to be helpful, but obviously they need money as well. Being able to utilize a donation to impact their school long term … I think is going to be extremely helpful for them."
Wednesday might not be Muir's only visit to The Bolt either as Harbaugh and Hortiz invited the group to visit an offseason practice later this spring.
