Education, Prevention, and Life Skills: Part of the HONOR ROWS® Experience

What do all of the agencies below have in common? They're all committed to assisting at-risk youth to acquire important life skills through prevention-focused programs. From avoiding gang-related behavior to building good character and improving literacy, these agencies incorporate related activities into their Honor Rows programs to help youth succeed. With additional help from their parents/guardians and mentors, Honor Rows youth will celebrate their accomplishments because they earned their seat to today's game.

Seated in the 300-level section of the North End Zone, boys and girls worked hard to improve their academic performance, attained personal goals, learned about nutrition and physical fitness, and participated in a variety of community service projects. In addition, all youth made and kept a tobacco, alcohol and drug-free pledge with support from their parents and mentors.

Note that at the end of the first quarter, Delores and Wayne Weaver will wave in congratulations to the youth and their agencies for persevering and earning their seat to today's game. Please join the Weavers and other fans in The Wave.

Honor Rows is an innovative program that uses seats at Jaguars home games as incentives for young people to set and achieve ambitious but realistic goals. The flexibility of the program allows nonprofit agencies to determine how best to use seats for their particular program.

Each Honor Rows participant receives a special T-shirt, hat, free meal, certificate of achievement and recognition at the stadium during the game. Yet, the personal goals and skills each youth attains have a long-lasting impact on their future.

Honor Rows was instituted in 1995 during the Jacksonville Jaguars inaugural season, "The Season of Firsts." The Jaguars Foundation has developed innovative programs to empower youth. Many of these programs have received national recognition and have been widely replicated.

This year, more than 4,200 seats have been awarded to 43 agencies with multiple programs. Almost 3,300 youth alone will have participated in the program by the end of the 2006 season. In the past eleven seasons, the Foundation has awarded nearly 35,000 Honor Rows seats to youth, parents, mentors and agency staff. This is in addition to the donation of other charitable seats.

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 following agencies are present for today's game:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Florida – 14 youth

Communities In Schools of Jacksonville – 165 youth

Community Connections of Jacksonville – 126 youth

Fresh Ministries/ Monique Burr Foundation – 45 youth

Gateway Community Services – 10 youth

Northeast Florida Community Action Agency – 77 youth

United Congregations 4 Communities/Youth – 50 youth

For more information about The Foundation's Honor Rows Program or other Foundation initiatives, please contact Tarek Tabet at 633-6579.