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Winners On and Off the Field:
Jacksonville
Jaguars Foundation Receives
2006 Steve
Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award
From the
desk of Greg Johnson:
Looking back, Monday,
September 18th, 2006 will be remembered as a very special date
in the history of The Sports Philanthropy Project (SPP).
On that day, SPP and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
representatives traveled to Jacksonville to present the
Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation with the 2006 Steve
Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award.
The official presentation ceremony occurred in the evening,
in an on-field ceremony at Alltel Stadium, just prior to the
Jaguars’ game that night with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For anyone who’s ever had that special opportunity to be on
the fifty-yard line in front of thousands of excited and eager
fans, to describe the moment as electric would be an
understatement. The fans, obviously eager for the start
of this highly anticipated game with the reigning Superbowl
champs, nevertheless have an obvious appreciation for their
home team that seems to transcend their win/loss record.
For the Jacksonville community, for residents of all ages and
backgrounds, the Jaguars are more than a team – they’re an
institution that the community looks to for leadership and
support. And the hearty applause and cheers of the crowd
that night saluted the Jags as winners both on and off the
field.
The on-field presentation was a fitting capstone for a day
in which the Jaguars Foundation showcased the work and the
programs for which they were honored. The day began with
a luncheon hosted by the team, where SPP and RWJF joined with
representatives from Jacksonville business, non-profits, and
local government in honoring the team. “Whether it’s by
keeping kids from ever using tobacco, preventing teen
pregnancy or encouraging students to stay the course through
high school graduation, [the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation
has] served as a model philanthropy for so many of your peers
throughout the NFL and the wider world of sports,” said John
Lumpkin, Senior Vice President for Health Care at RWJF, at a
luncheon in Jacksonville to honor the Jaguars foundation and
its community partners.
Immediately following the luncheon, the Jaguars Foundation
hosted a tour of local community development initiatives
supported by LISC. For those of you who may not know,
LISC (which stands for Local Initiatives Support Corporation)
helps resident-led, community-based development organizations
transform distressed communities and neighborhoods into
healthy ones – good places to live, do business, work and
raise families. The Jaguars Foundation and team were
instrumental in bringing LISC to Jacksonville – an example of
how professional sports teams, as community anchors and
institutions, can leverage their own influence to generate
investment in their communitities.
After the tour of LISC-supported community development
projects, we visited one of the organizations supported by the
Jaguars over the past decade – The Bridge of Northeast
Florida, Inc. The Bridge is dedicated to the development of
healthy, productive, self-sufficient youth and families by
providing comprehensive educational, social and health
programs to children, youth and families in need. In recent
years, The Jaguars Foundation and Weaver Family Foundation
have provided significant financial and in-kind support for
The Bridge’s children and teen programs, Straight Talk teen
pregnancy prevention programs and capital improvements.
Meeting the young people involved in programs at the Bridge
was a special highlight of the day. Their obvious
investment in the programs, and their own descriptions of
their benefit from them, reinforced the tangible impact that
organizations like the Jaguars Foundation can have on the
quality of life for young people dealing with real-world
challenges.
I hope in some sense I’ve managed to convey the spirit and
energy of the day – of the renewed sense of purpose and value
we gained from being able to take part in it. But if, as
they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, then think of
our website as the book on the topic. There, in addition
to pictures from the day, you’ll find video of the luncheon,
the on-field ceremony, and of Delores speaking about the work
of the Jaguars Foundation and about the importance of this
award to their efforts. You’ll also find video of an
interview on the popular ESPN show Cold Pizza (which
aired the morning following the game and presentation), with
Delores and her husband and team co-owner, Wayne Weaver,
speaking about the award.
As exciting and uplifting as this year’s selection process
and award ceremony was, we know that the Jaguars Foundation is
only one of the wonderful stories of how professional sports
can make a difference. That’s why we encourage you to
visit our website to find information on the award itself,
application criteria, and on Steve Patterson, for whom the
award is named. On that note, as we close the chapter on
our 2006 award, we’ve already begun to plan for the 2007
nominations, which are scheduled to open in February
2007. We look forward to your applications!
For more information on the Steve Patterson Sports
Philanthropy Award visit www.sportsphilanthropy.com
or email agreenberg@sportsphilanthropy.com. |
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John Lumpkin, Greg Johnson, Carlette
Patterson, Delores Barr Weaver and Peter Racine at the
pre-game on field presentation |
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John Lumpkin, Senior Vice President and
Director, Health Care Group, The Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation |
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Greg Johnson, Executive Director,
Sports Philanthropy Project |
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Carlette Patterson, President,
Patterson Sports Ventures presented the award to Delores
Barr Weaver, Co-Owner, Jacksonville Jaguars and
Chair/CEO, Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation |
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John Lumpkin and Carlette Patterson
with children at The Bridge of NE Florida |
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Delores Barr Weaver and Peter Racine,
Executive Director, Jacksonville Jaguars
Foundation |
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| Peter Racine
with the award in hand! |
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