Former Steeler Kolb runs unique program

a Purpose works with veterans, school children, and people who have chronic conditions that are not likely to get well soon or even improve.

“Typically what happens,” Kolb explains, “Is that insurance companies, once they have been told by the therapist or the doctor that some person has reached a point where they’re not likely to improve, then insurance is not going to be paying. There is a limit to what insurance pays for.”

That’s where Kolb’s ATP comes in. It’s not just the disabled. He has an after-school program in Farrell and Sharon for 210 school kids through a grant.

“We have a program working with veterans,’’ Kolb said, “and we’ve had a group of veterans that started recently in Youngstown with the YMCA. We’d like to expand it and get it going bigger in Pittsburgh.

“One veteran every hour in the U.S. commits suicide. There are 900,000 vets in Pennsylvania.”

Kolb was a former defensive line coach and strength coach with the Steelers. A Mars resident, he is a kinesiology instructor at Youngstown State University and Penn State, and a health science instructor at Butler County Community College.

“It’s kind of like being a bunch of strength coaches,” Kolb explains as to what he and his staff try to accomplish with their work, “but rather than having an athlete, you’re trying to improve somebody’s function in terms of helping them be more mobile.”

A player such as Ryan Shazier has been an inspiration to many of those patients, even if they never met him.

“He is a hero actually to some of our people,’’ Kolb said. “They talk about him. They watch him. They watch his progress.”

In his own way, so is Jon Kolb the hero, just not on a football field anymore.

“I really don’t know anybody doing this. Really, we couldn’t do it without my teammates, who come to fundraisers we have. It kind of overwhelms me. We have to do fundraisers because most of these people don’t have the funds or they’ve exhausted the funds to keep going. So many guys turn out and that really helps because this town, if you announce some Pittsburgh Steelers are coming, the place will sell out. It’s just kind of a really unique place.”

Oct. 21, Grove City Masonic Hall. The Steelers are coming.