FOR
USE AS DESIRED
NFL-EE-2
11/7/01
Contact:
Brian McCarthy, NFL, 212-450-2069
Meghan
Powers, NFL, 212-450-2161
CHIEFS’
SHIELDS NFL OCTOBER “EXTRA EFFORT” AWARD WINNER
Chiefs’
six-time Pro Bowl right guard Will
Shields has provided invaluable support to the Kansas City community
through his Will To Succeed Foundation, a program designed to help abused and
neglected women and children through direct assistance and literacy and
educational aid.
For
his efforts, Shields has been named the NFL "Extra Effort" Award winner
for October for his commendable work in the community.
NFL Charities will donate on his behalf $1000 to the charity of his
choice.
Shields
started the month being inducted into the Mid-America Hall of Fame in
recognition of his contributions to the education of children in Kansas City.
At Argentine Middle School in Kansas City, KS—a school serving many
children where English is the second language—Shields gave 20 tickets to each
of the Chiefs October home games as part of Team Esteem, a writing program
sponsored by the Will To Succeed Foundation.
He also provided matching grant funding for KC Reads, a pediatric
literacy program offered at 18 inner city clinics.
In
recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October), Shields provided
funding to Kansas City-based Synergy
Services, a domestic violence shelter, to purchase a nine-passenger van
to be used by women at the shelter to travel to job training, court appointments
and doctor’s visits. He also
donated new bedding to the Marillac
Center, a facility serving emotionally disturbed children.
The
NFL "Extra Effort" Award is presented monthly to a player who
has made a significant contribution to his community, either during that
particular month or on a continuing basis. Players are nominated by their clubs
and the winner is chosen by an NFL selection panel.
Other
finalists for the September NFL "Extra Effort" Award:
Cleveland
Browns:
Browns
LB JAMIR MILLER and the Jamir Miller Foundation hosted the Second Annual
Gaining Ground benefit at Cleveland Browns Stadium in October. Miller’s Big
Top event featured attractions to “Bring Out the Kid in You.”
Guests enjoyed gourmet delights, cotton candy, a deluxe sundae bar,
cocktails, games and caricature
artists.
The event raised more than $80,000 to benefit Providence House, a crisis
residential nursery for children up to 5 years old, and the Jamir Miller
Scholarship Program, to further the educational efforts of graduating Cleveland
Municipal School District high school students.
St.
Louis Rams:
Rams
DE GRANT WISTROM makes frequent visits to the Bob Costas Cancer Center at
Cardinal Glennon Hospital where he is a supporter of Rainbows for Kids, a
program which provides fun, recreational opportunities for children battling
cancer. Patients from the Bob
Costas Cancer Center also receive tickets to be Wistrom’s guests at Rams home
games. As the honorary chair for
the annual Make-A-Wish Celebrity Server Dinner, Wistrom helped recruit players
for the event that raised more than $60,000 for Make-A-Wish.
Wistrom also founded Grant’s Circle of Friends, a unique philanthropic
project that organizes days of fun for kids with cancer and their siblings.
Seattle
Seahawks:
When
it comes to helping Seattle’s youth, Seahawks LB John Hilliard is
always first in line. In October,
he attended the Seahawks Academy’s annual pizza party, organized to kickoff
the new academic year. After the
party, Hilliard and other Seahawks showed some of their moves in a flag football
game with the students. Hilliard
also attended the Seattle Emergency Housing Service’s (SEHS) annual birthday
party, an event that celebrates the birthdays of approximately 60 youth living
in the SEHS transitional housing units. Hilliard also spoke to student-athletes
at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, discussing the imperative role of
academics and the importance of remaining focused
NFL
Charities, created in 1973, is a non-profit organization created by the member
clubs of the National Football League to enable the clubs to collectively make
grants to charitable and worthwhile causes on the national level. Since its
inception, NFL Charities has made more than $45 million in grant commitments to
more than 250 different organizations.
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