EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL:
June 19, 2013 at 12:00 P.M. ET
Contact: Brian McCarthy, NFL
212-450-2069; brian.mccarthy@nfl.com
Contact: Michele P. Fidance, Jefferson Awards
302-295-0526 or M.Fidance@JeffersonAwards.org
NFL PLAYER ENGAGEMENT TO COLLABORATE WITH JEFFERSON AWARDS TO INSPIRE & ADVANCE COMMUNITY SERVICE BY YOUTH
NFL’s Troy Vincent & Jefferson Awards Co-Founder Sam Beard Announce Collaboration Today at National Award Ceremonies in Washington D.C.
Washington, D.C. – NFL Player Engagement announced today a strategic alliance with the Jefferson Awards, pledging to work together to promote and inspire youth volunteerism and public service nationwide. The announcement was made by NFL Senior Vice President of Player Engagement and former Pro Bowler TROY VINCENT and Jefferson Awards co-founder SAM BEARD during the National Jefferson Awards ceremony earlier this morning at Arena Stage.
“For years both the NFL and the Jefferson Awards have each been deeply and firmly committed to community service,” said Troy Vincent, Senior Vice President of NFL Player Engagement. “We are extremely excited about the opportunity to assist young people in becoming 21st Century Leaders beginning with their families, their peers and as partners in their community.”
NFL Player Engagement and the Jefferson Awards will combine their respective efforts toward the PREP community (males and females under the age of 25) to further motivate, train and measure the impact today’s youth is making in their communities. Through the Jefferson Awards Youth Service Challenge, a program that educates youth on their power to effect change individually, collectively, locally, and nationally, NFL Player Engagement will provide support and resources to participating students. This year alone, the Challenge had 3,673 student-led projects and involved more than 900,000 students across the country.
“NFL Player Engagement is an ideal alliance for us,” said Mr. Beard. “When it comes to youth and our communities, we share the exact same mission. We are thrilled at this opportunity to work with Troy, the NFL and any and all present and former players who share our common goal to give back.”
Vincent, a recipient of the 2012 Jefferson Award for Outstanding Athlete in Philanthropy and Public Service, has been frequently recognized for his own personal commitment to public service throughout his 15 years on the playing field and in his current leadership role at the NFL. A Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame former cornerback, Vincent previously received the coveted Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which annually honors one NFL player from all 32 teams for exemplary volunteer and community work as well as excellence on the field.
In addition to Vincent, Pro Football Hall of Fame Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Jim Kelly and New York Jets’ Marty Lyons are recent recipients of the Jefferson Award for an Outstanding Athlete in Public Service. Past NFL recipients also include Peyton Manning, Nnamdi Asomugha, Warrick Dunn, Ronnie Lott and Irving Fryar.
About NFL Player Engagement
The mission of Player Engagement is to optimize and revolutionize the personal and professional growth of football players through continuous guidance and support before, during and beyond their NFL experience. NFL Player Engagement prepares and supports players with matters such as Physical and Mental Health, Family Safety, Lifestyle and Transition into their post-NFL life.
NFL PREP provides high-school and college student-athletes of all sports with tools to assist them to succeed in life, focused on awareness, prevention, intervention and education.
To learn more about NFL Player Engagement, visit www.nflplayerengagement.com
About The Jefferson Awards
The Jefferson Awards were founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard to create a Nobel Prize for public service. The Co-Chairs of the Jefferson Awards are Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate Majority and Minority Leaders. The Board includes Laura Bush, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Michael Douglas, Ellen Burstyn, Troy Vincent, Alex Lopez-Negrete, Hank Aaron, Harold Ford, Jr. and Lesley Stahl. For many years the Jefferson Awards were presented in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Past winners are a “Who’s Who” of American history-makers. They include: five Supreme Court Justices - Sandra Day O’Connor and Thurgood Marshall; seven Secretaries of State – Colin Powell and Jim Baker; as well as Barbara Bush, Rosalyn Carter, Cesar Chavez, Peyton Manning, Oprah Winfrey, Bob Rubin and Henry Cisneros.
The Jefferson Awards have over 110 television stations and newspapers working with us in over 70 communities to highlight grassroots “Unsung Heroes.”
Beginning in 2005, the Jefferson Awards has been transformed into one of the nation’s leading organizations inspiring and activating volunteers – with a special emphasis on youth. Today, the mission of the Jefferson Awards is to “collaboratively engage the nation in public service and volunteering by providing training, inspiring and enabling action, measuring impact and celebrating the achievements of exceptional individuals.”
With Deloitte, our Students in Action initiative isa turnkey service system to multiply volunteering in high schools. In the past six years, the Jefferson Awards in 325 high schools, have trained more than 8,800 student leaders. The schools are responsible for 6.8 million hours of volunteering – rated by the Independent Sector at more than a $150 million value.In ten years, we’ll be in 2,000 high schools, affecting 2 million students, training 6,000 to 8,000 student leaders annually providing 25 million hours of service, valued at $500 million.
In October 2010, we launched our Youth Service Challenge to get one million young Americans into student-led service activities. 173 mayors have signed up. In the third year, more 80 cities and towns participated, with over 900,000 students in 3,674 student-led projects. In ten years, we’ll be in more than 100 cities and involve more than five million young Americans in student-led service projects. Please see: www.youthservicechallenge.net
Through these efforts, we have seen and helped train extraordinary young Americans. As a result, we launchedGLOBECHANGERS. In the next ten years, the Jefferson Awards will identify and train 10,000 young Americans (ages 25 and under) to be national or global service leaders and become social venture entrepreneurs. We’re inspiring and training young Americans to THINK BIG, and then divide their BIG IDEA into doable steps. We are developing significant young leaders for tomorrow. See: www.globechangers.org
For more information on the Jefferson Awards, visit www.JeffersonAwards.org
###