"I was really excited when I found out they were coming to our school; I couldn't wait," said Nahinu, who is in the fifth grade.

With the Pro Bowl set for Sunday, the NFL's Youth Football Program has been visiting several elementary schools in Hawai'i this week.

Many of the Palolo students are from low-income homes, so the free clinic was a rare treat.

Some of the students can't even afford athletic shoes, but the teachers at Palolo Elementary made sure that everybody had a pair for yesterday's clinic.

"We borrowed from other students, or just asked around," said Ellie Gonsalves, a fifth-grade teacher. "It meant so much to the kids, we wanted all of them to be a part of it."

Offensive lineman Wayne Hunter of the Seattle Seahawks is one of the NFL players assisting with the clinics. The former Radford High and University of Hawai'i standout showed the Palolo students some of the basic footwork required for offensive linemen.

"I'm not trying to coach them; nothing technical," said the 6-foot-6, 323-pounder. "At this age, it's all about having fun and sending the right message."

Hunter's drills received rave reviews from the students. In one drill, he made the youths chase each other while running backward. In another, he challenged the whole group to try to tackle him — which they did.

"I can tell this stuff means a lot for kids at this age," Hunter said. "It means a lot to me, personally, to give back to kids like this, because I feel a connection to them having been born and raised here. I do some stuff in Seattle, too, but I always try to do more when I'm in Hawai'i."

Two University of Hawai'i players — Matt Faga and Justin Faimealelei — also worked with the youth at yesterday's clinic. Both are former Palolo Elementary students.

"When I heard they were coming to this school, I wanted to help right away," Faimealelei said. "There was nothing like this when I was their age, so it was as much fun for me as it was for them."

Torel Faimealelei, Justin's nephew, is a fifth-grader at Palolo Elementary and he got to participate yesterday.

"I liked all the drills," he said. "And it was fun to play with my uncle."

Gonsalves said the one-hour football session featured several opportunities for academic as well as physical growth.

"The whole week leading up to this, we talked about it, and we had the kids read the newspaper to follow the NFL schedule," she said. "Later this afternoon, we're going to have the kids work on their reading and writing skills with thank-you letters. It's just a great experience for them in so many ways."

So far this week, the NFL has visited schools around O'ahu, as well as on the Neighbor Islands. More than 3,000 Hawai'i youth statewide are expected to participate.

"The goal of all of our youth programs is to use football as a catalyst to promote positive development," said Cedric Jones, a former wide receiver for the New England Patriots, now senior director of youth football for the NFL.

NFL players are scheduled to appear tomorrow at another clinic at Kapi'olani Park. All the spots have been filled, but the clinics will run from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (elementary and middle schools), and then from 3 to 5:30 p.m. (high schools).

On Monday, clinics will be held on Maui, Lana'i, and Moloka'i.