PHOENIX -- Super Bowl leaves an impact long after the game has come and gone. As it does every year, the NFL seeks to improve the surrounding communities of the Super Bowl host city with a financial donation.
This year, the NFL Foundation provided a $1 million grant to the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee via the Arizona Community Foundation to fund charitable projects throughout Arizona to support health and wellness programs for the Arizona community. This grant was matched by the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee for a total of more than $2 million.
Representatives from the NFL, Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee and the Arizona Cardinals gathered Thursday to recognize the recipients of this year's Super Bowl Legacy Grants. Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee chairman David Rousseau made the announcement at ASU Preparatory Academy School, one of this year's grant recipient locations. Before its Super Bowl makeover, the field at ASU Prep was in subpar condition for the thousands of youth who utilized it for organized sports and intramurals.
The event also recognized the Arizona Interscholastic Association's (AIA) support of USA Football's Heads Up Football program. The AIA's support of Heads Up Football is part of Arizona's comprehensive approach to student-athlete health. Following the press conference, high school athletic directors and football coaches from around the state attended an education session on the Heads Up Football program. Heads Up Football, which includes a focus on education and certification, equipment fitting, concussion recognition and awareness, heat and hydration, and Heads Up Tackling, was launched in 2012 by USA Football with the NFL's support. As part of today's event, ESPN also announced their support of Heads Up Football by donating $30,000 towards the initiative to help Arizona-based high school coaches become Heads Up Football certified in 2015.
A list of Super Bowl Legacy Grant recipients and the projects being funded by the NFL Foundation's $1 million grant and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee foundation's $1 million contribution is below.
Organization: Super Bowl Legacy Grant Fund Projects
- Arizona Foundation for Women: Implementation of the Raising Arizona's Boys into Men program for coaches and male student-athletes, ages 13-23, in schools located in urban and rural areas of Arizona, including Native American populations. The program is a partnership between the Arizona Foundation for Women and the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence.
- Arizona Science Center: Support of two projects at the Arizona Science Center, including a state-of-the-art inflatable and portable planetarium and related programs; and implementation of Focused Field Trips - one of ASC's signature student/teacher engagement programs that provides free field trip experiences, teacher workshops and classroom materials for Title I, K-8 schools in Arizona.
- Assistance League of Phoenix: Distribution of a new pair of athletic shoes to more than 5,000 youth in need through the Operation School Bell Program.
* ASU Foundation for a New American University: Implementation of a forum and workshop for up to 100 adults who work with local student athletes from middle school through college. The program will focus on the importance of teaching ethics, values and leadership, as well as techniques to effectively achieve this goal.
- ASU Preparatory Academy: Refurbishment of the school's athletic field and installation of a new scoreboard, benefiting K-12 students and the local community.
- Balsz Elementary School District: Purchase and installation of a high quality, ADA-compliant play structure, shade cover, security fence and security cameras for the school's playground.
- Barrow Neurological Institute: Support of two projects at Barrow including the placement of certified athletic trainers at several thousand Arizona Interscholastic Association tournament events, ensuring the safety of more than 100,000 high school student-athletes; and direct services for victims of domestic violence
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale: Support of the L.E.A.N. (Lifestyle, Education, Activity and Nutrition) Program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale to serve youth through organized sports, diabetes education and nutrition programming.
- Challenger Learning Center of Arizona: Purchase of a software system for two state-of-the-art mission scenarios with advanced technological capability, providing a critical component in its two-year overall simulator upgrade project. Additional upgrades include interactive labs, electrical work, labor, supplies and teacher training materials.
- City of Phoenix FitPHX: Physical activity and nutrition education for children, ages 10-14, at Phoenix libraries and parks in several underserved neighborhoods. ASU interns studying health will teach nutrition curriculum and lead physical activities.
- City of Tempe: Construction of a fitness path in Tempe's Escalante Park.
- Crisis Nursery: Refurbishment of playgrounds at Crisis Nursery which supports vulnerable children and families throughout the Valley.
- The Ecological Restoration Institute and Northern Arizona University: Protection of water supplies and restoration of forest health in Arizona.
- Elevate Phoenix:Education program that provides 4,000 mentor hours to teach, tutor and transport students at five Title I elementary and high schools.
- Esperanca, Inc.: Implementation of the "Health with a Latin Flavor" program for youngsters, 8-14 years old, focusing on lessons about nutrition, physical activity and making healthy snacks.
- First Things First Foundation: Support of former NFL player Kurt Warner's foundation which is dedicated to impacting lives by encouraging everyone that all things are possible when people put "first things first."
- Florence Crittenton of Arizona:Support for young women in need through college preparatory courses, a Student Success Liaison, sports programs and transportation to sporting events, educational outings and tours of local colleges and universities.
- The Larry Fitzgerald First Down Fund: Support of Arizona Cardinals player Larry Fitzgerald's foundation which helps kids and their families in crisis and supports health-related organizations that work with families.
- Phoenix Indian Center: Implementation of Forward Promise: A Community Partnership that Empowers American Indian Young Men. This unique education module focuses on physical fitness and health, grounded by teaching about traditional American Indian games and sports.
- Phoenix Public Library: Implementation of a summer reading program to combat low literacy rates and provide community-based early literacy programming in high need areas of the city.
- Playworks Arizona: Provision of a full-time coach in 18 Title I elementary schools, engaging more than 13,500 youth in daily physical activity at recess and throughout the day.
- Positive Coaching Alliance: Two-year Legacy of Positivity program for the Phoenix Union High School District will aim to transform the youth sports culture for the 16-school district and includes 100 live, interactive character education workshops.
- Read On Arizona: Literacy program will allow every preschool to 3rd grade student at 40 high-need elementary schools to have access to a digital library for an entire school year. Volunteers also will place books and bookshelves in early childcare sites across the Valley.
- Rodel Foundation of Arizona: Creation of interactive electronic versions of approximately 1,500 mathematical problems across six grade levels of materials. Teachers utilizing the materials will have the flexibility of ordering lessons in multiple formats to maximize opportunities for interactivity.
- Special Olympics Arizona: Support of healthy lifestyle programming through the purchase and distribution of sports equipment, health screening materials and Healthy LEAP educational manuals which include Healthy Weight and Obesity, Sports Nutrition and Hydration, Exercise and Injury Prevention, Personal Hygiene and Prevention of Tobacco and Alcohol Use.
- St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance: Procurement and distribution of 700,000 pounds of nutritious food which will provide more than 58,333 meals for hungry children each month.
- UMOM New Day Centers: Provision of case management, food, medical care and other services to help homeless families residing in its Emergency and Extended Shelter overcome their barriers to attaining and maintaining housing.
-- NFL Communications
