Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation Receives

2006 Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award

After a winning season on the football field, the Jacksonville Jaguars are being honored for their equally impressive work off the field. Today, the Sports Philanthropy Project and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation jointly announced that the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation will receive the 2006 Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award.

The Jaguars Foundation is being honored for developing innovative community programs, which have received national recognition and have been widely replicated, and for their support of organizations and initiatives throughout the Jacksonville community focused on empowering young people. Between 1995 and 2005, the Jaguars Foundation awarded more than $9 million in cash grants and gave in-kind grants exceeding $430,000 annually in game tickets earned by youth and adults through local nonprofit organizations—a level of giving that places the Jaguars among the top tier of professional sports teams.  The award also recognizes the Jaguars Foundation for their leadership in assisting other professional sports teams in developing their own philanthropic initiatives.

“The model of philanthropy that the Jacksonville Jaguars have created through their foundation uniquely demonstrates the power of professional sports teams and athletes to make a tangible, meaningful difference in their communities,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “The Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation stands out as a shining example of how professional sports teams can use their position in the community to improve the lives of people in need, especially the most vulnerable.”

The award will be officially presented to the Jaguars Foundation in Jacksonville at their Monday Night Football game on September 18, 2006, against the Super Bowl XL Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The presentation will take place on-field during a pre-game ceremony.   To read the full release, click here .  You can also visit www.stevepattersonaward.com for more information about the nomination process.

MLS to be a National Partner for the

Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School Campaign

for second consecutive year

In 2006, the Sports Philanthropy Project and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will repeat our successful partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS) to launch the Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School Campaign . The goal of the Campaign is to encourage parents to obtain health care coverage for their eligible children through Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) as part of their preparation for the new school year. 

The Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School Campaign will take place during August and September.   Several MLS teams have already joined this year’s effort, including:

• Chicago Fire
• Columbus Crew
• DC United
• Kansas City Wizards
• Colorado Rapids
• FC Dallas
• Houston Dynamo
• LA Galaxy
• Real  Salt  Lake
• Chivas USA

This tremendous support from professional soccer, both at the league and team levels, will result in unprecedented exposure to soccer fans, particularly in the Latino community, and families who are in need of health care coverage for their children.  In 2005, thousands of families received important information about low-cost and free health care coverage through our partnership, and we’re confident that we’ll reach even more families with uninsured, eligible children in 2006.  Please contact Alisha Greenberg, agreenberg@sportsphilanthropy.com , for more information.  

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©2003 Sports Philanthropy Project
http://www.sportsphilanthropyproject.com
agreenberg@sportsphilanthropy.com