The Jaguars home game against the Titans kicked off the 2011 Honor Rows season, with more than 500 students attending who earned their seat to the game.
More than 5,000 youth will participate in the Jaguars Foundation's nationally recognized Honor Rows this year. The Foundation partners with 45 Jacksonville-area nonprofit agencies to provide goal-setting programs for economically and socially disadvantaged youth to earn a seat to a Jaguars home game. Since the inaugural season of 1995, a total of 61,280 *Honor Rows *seats have been awarded to youth, parents, staff and volunteers, including 5,000for the 2011 season.
Youth ages 9 to 17 seek to improve themselves and the community by setting and achieving goals for academic and behavioral improvement, increasing physical activity and eating more nutritionally, and providing volunteer community service. Program duration is a minimum of eight weeks. The youth also take an anti-substance abuse pledge to abstain from illegal drugs, tobacco products and alcohol. The child's parents or guardians co-sign the pledge card agreeing to support the youth in their promise. Historically, with assistance from parents, mentors and agency staff, more than 90% of youth meet their goals and earn their seat.
In addition to a game day ticket, Honor Rows participants receive a complimentary meal, tee-shirt, cap, pledge card, and certificate of completion. During the game, Jaguars team owners Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver lead The ROAR of the Jaguars Cheerleaders and Jaguars fans in a wave to congratulate the youth, seated in the north end zone, in recognition of their accomplishment. Game day volunteers provided through the United Way of Northeast Florida ensure that the youth have a safe and enjoyable game day experience.
Honor Rowsis the largest of the Foundation's charitable seating programs, which also includes "Honoring Our Troops," in partnership with the greater Jacksonville USO, which provides home game tickets for youth whose parent(s) are on or returning from deployment with the armed services; youth football associations in low-income neighborhoods; HabiJax volunteers; Ronald McDonald House families and others.
The Foundation allocates more than 11,000 charitable grants with a value exceeding $420,000 worth of home game seats to charitable purposes annually.
Below are the 2011 Honor Rows grant recipients and their assigned home game:
9/11 TENNESSEE TITANS
Communities in Schools of Jacksonville
Davis Performing Arts Center
Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida
Northeast Florida Community Action Agency
Panama Youth Services
United Congregations for Communities & Youth
10/2 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Child Advocates of Florida
Community Connections of Jacksonville
daniel, Inc.
Duval Juvenile Residential Facility
Gateway Community Services
Northside Community Involvement
Helping Hands Neighborhood Center
Family Support Services of North Florida
Habitat for Humanity Jacksonville Beaches
Henry & Rilla White Youth Foundation
YMCA of Florida's First Coast
Why Not Me Campaign
10/9 CINCINNATI BENGALS
AMI Kids, Jacksonville
The Bridge of Northeast Florida
The Boselli Foundation
Child Guidance Center
Hubbard House
Jewish Family & Community Services
Northeast Florida Community Action Agency
PACE Center for Girls Jacksonville
River Region Human Services
Shands Jacksonville
11/27 HOUSTON TEXANS
The Bridge of Northeast Florida
Communities in Schools of Jacksonville
Empowerment Resources
Girls, Inc. of Jacksonville
Guardian Catholic Schools
MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation
Police Athletic League of Jacksonville
*12/11 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS *
Best Buddies International, Jacksonville
Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida
Communities in Schools of Nassau County
Communities in Schools of St. Johns County
Duval County 4-H Foundation
Jacksonville Children's Chorus
1/1/2012 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Bethel Baptist Institutional Church
Community Connections of Jacksonville
Heart to Heart Christian Academy
HOPEworldwide
MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation
Metro Kids Konnection
The Potter's House Christian Academy
St. Augustine Youth Services
The Sanctuary on 8th Street
YMCA of Baker County
About the Jaguars Foundation:
The Jaguars Foundation seeks to leverage local, state, and national resources to serve economically and socially disadvantaged youth and families in greater Jacksonville. Other Foundation programs include: grant making to area non-profit agencies totaling more than $14.6 million since 1995; Straight Talk™,a strategic partnership with local media, non-profit organizations and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Floridadesigned to educate and reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy and the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases among teens; "Play 60 Challenge, a youth anti-obesity initiative in partnership with Baptist Health/Wolfson Children's Hospital, the NFL and the American Heart Association; and the "Jaguars Don't Smoke" youth anti-tobacco initiative established in partnership with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to reduce smoking among youth.
