JAGUARS FOUNDATION RECOGNIZES AGENCY STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS FOR THEIR DEDICATION TO YOUTH
Because children are out of school for the holidays, there are no youth in the Jaguars Foundation Honor Rows® today. However, we are proud to salute the hundreds of staff and key volunteers from 39 participating nonprofit agencies who are seated in the Honor Rows section. Their hard work, dedication and sacrifice made the Honor Rows program a success.
Honor Rows was instituted in 1995 during the Jacksonville Jaguars inaugural season, "The Season of Firsts." It is an innovative program that uses seats at Jaguars home games as incentives for young people to set and achieve ambitious but realistic goals. Goals are set typically in the areas of academics, behavior, nutrition and physical health, and community service. Agency staff, parents, and mentors assist youth in achieving their individual goals in order to earn their seat to a Jaguars home game. All youth make and keep a pledge to abstain from tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
This year, more than 4,300 seats have been awarded to 39 agencies with multiple programs. This is the largest number of seats awarded in the history of the Honor Rows program. Almost 3,300 youth alone will have participated in the program by the end of the 2005 season. In the past eleven seasons, the Foundation has awarded more than 30,500 Honor Rows seats to youth, parents, mentors and agency staff. This is in addition to the donation of other charitable seats.
The Jaguars Foundation received the 1996 and 2003 Governor's Community Investment Award for its innovative programming, and continues to serve as a demonstration site for other sports leagues and franchises.
The Jaguars Foundation is sponsored by Reebok and Alltel. The United Way of NE Florida mobilizes game-day volunteers who ensure the safety and enjoyment of Honor Rows participants.
The Honor Rows agencies listed below are present for today's game. The other 21 agencies attended the October 9 game earlier this season.
Bethel Baptist Institutional Church BEST Academy
Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida
Child Guidance Center
Communities in Schools of Jacksonville
Communities in Schools of Nassau County
Communities in Schools of St. Johns County
Community Connections of Jacksonville
daniel, Inc.
Duval County 4-H Foundation
EPIC Community Services of St. Augustine
Girls Inc. of Jacksonville
Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville Beaches
Historic St. Johns County Police Athletic League
PACE Center for Girls
S.A.V.E. Program at Southside Middle School
The Bridge of Northeast Florida
United Congregations for Communities and Youth
YMCA of Baker County
For more information about The Foundation's Honor Rows Program or other Foundation initiatives, please contact Tarek Tabet at 633-6579.
