Sports Doing Good Newsletter, #149

Feb. 1 – Feb. 7, 2015

Welcome to week one hundred forty-nine of the Sports Doing Good newsletter. This week’s 10 stories include:

  1. NFL Announces $2 Million Super Bowl Legacy Grant, Benefitting More Than 25 Community Projects Throughout Super Bowl Host Community
  2. How Super Bowl Hero Malcolm Butler Went From Popeyes Employee to Patriots Star
  3. streetfootballworld USA powers US Department of State SportsUnited Grant in Latin America
  4. USC Alum Michael Grant supports Hoops 4 Hope
  5. Peace and Sport enters a new era
  6. ‘Like A Girl’ Super Bowl Ad Champions Female Empowerment On Football’s Biggest Stage
  7. Washington Wizards Nene and Wife Lauren Announce Partnership with “Blessings in a Backpack” to Impact the Youth of Washington D.C. and Denver
  8. Arizona Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson Reveals First “Patrick’s Corner” to Nevitt Elementary School Students and Families
  9. The Grassroot Project: College Athletes Educating Children to Help End HIV/AIDS
  10. With Boston 2024 bid, a chance to shift the paradigm

Introduction
Big sporting events garner a lot of attention. National and international media are interested in the storylines associated with individuals, teams, and even the cities the teams hails from. In the past few years, a share of that attention has been increasingly on the work being done in the community by the sports league and its respective teams and players. For example, last week’s Super Bowl was once again a huge spectacle, with two stellar teams putting on a thrilling game. However, off-the-field, we were treated to several stories highlighting the impact the Super Bowl, the NFL, and its teams are having on their stakeholders. Three of our stories this week, including the first one, have such flavor. And we anticipate that next week, when the NBA’s All-Star festivities take place in New York, that we will be treated to several more.

Other compelling stories we feature this week include: the great non-profit streetfootballworld; USC tennis player Michael Grant and Hoops 4 Hope; the good folks at Peace and Sport; Washington Wizard player Nene and Blessings in a Backpack; Arizona Cardinal Patrick Peterson and the “Patrick’s Corner” reading room; The Grassroot Project’s ongoing impact; and Paralympic champion and Boston sports ambassador, Cheri Blauwet.

Please continue to send along your stories. You are both our audience and our best source of stories. Our Twitter handle is @sportsdoinggood, and you can find us at www.facebook.com/sportsdoinggood.

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So enjoy. And have a good week.

NFL Announces $2 Million Super Bowl Legacy Grant, Benefitting More Than 25 Community Projects Throughout Super Bowl Host Community
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.
http://nflcommunications.com/2015/01/29/nfl-announces-2-million-super-bowl-legacy-grant-benefitting-more-than-25-community-projects-throughout-super-bowl-host-community/

How Super Bowl Hero Malcolm Butler Went From Popeyes Employee to Patriots Star
“The first thing I want to say is he’s a tremendous young man with a tremendous attitude,” Will Hall, Butler’s coach at West Alabama, told the Washington Post. “Every day he wakes up, every time he runs into somebody he makes their day better. He’s just one of those people.” At West Alabama, Butler excelled on the field, becoming “one of the best cornerbacks in the Gulf Coast Conference,” according to the Providence Journal. It was enough to get noticed by the Patriots, who signed him in May last year as an undrafted free agent. And the rest, as they say, is history. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/03/malcolm-butler-popeyes-patriots_n_6605818.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000019

In this handout image provided by Disneyland, Malcolm Butler is pictured celebrating his team’s Super Bowl XLIX championship victory with a special cavalcade down Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland park in Anaheim, Calif., on Monday. | Handout via Getty Images

streetfootballworld USA powers US Department of State SportsUnited Grant in Latin America
streetfootballworld USA is pleased to announce a grant from the U.S. Department of State. SportsUnited, a sports diplomacy exchange program that fosters mutual understanding between people of the U.S. and other cultures through the power of sport, officially kicked off last week featuring six of streetfootballworld’s network members.streetfootballworld is a team of organizations from around the world that use soccer for social change. There are twelve participants in this particular exchange, one youth leader and one adult coach or staff member representing each organization.
http://keirradnedge.com/2015/01/30/streetfootballworld-usa-powers-us-department-of-state-sportsunited-grant-in-latin-america/

USC Alum Michael Grant supports Hoops 4 Hope
During their time at USC, student-athletes are taught the importance of determination and of giving back to the community. Former men’s tennis team captain Michael Grant seems to have truly taken those lessons to heart. London-born Grant, who graduated from USC in 2014 as a three-time national champion, is now putting his efforts into a fundraising campaign for children in Zimbabwe. Grant is raising money for Hoops 4 Hope, a nonprofit organization that uses sports to ease racial conflict, promote a healthy living and teach teamwork as well as life skills to children.
http://dailytrojan.com/2015/01/28/michael-grant-supports-hoops-4-hope/

Daily Trojan file photo Granting wishes · Former USC tennis player Michael Grant, who went 20-6 as a starter during his senior season, is raising money for a nonprofit organization called Hoops 4 Hope, supporting kids in Zimbabwe.

Peace and Sport enters a new era
To underpin its growing public recognition, the organization has launched an engaging new slogan “Be part of what matters” (in French “Participer à l’important”) accompanied by a more modern graphic identity. A pioneer of the peace through sport movement, Peace and Sport enjoys great renown within the global sports community. Since 2007, the organization has worked in diplomatic circles and on the ground to promote and demonstrate the power of sport to foster dialogue and reconcile divided communities. By modernizing its brand identity, Peace and Sport hopes to reach out to a broader public and expand the scope of the peace through sport movement.
http://www.peace-sport.org/en/actualites/967-peace-and-sport-enters-a-new-era.html

‘Like A Girl’ Super Bowl Ad Champions Female Empowerment On Football’s Biggest Stage
“When people watch the video, we know it changes their perception of the phrase ‘like a girl’ – and it makes a difference for girls’ confidence,” Fama Francisco, vice president of Global Always said in a statement. “We feel so strongly about this, that we’re now taking this message to a bigger stage, the Super Bowl, so even more people can join us to champion girls’ confidence and change the meaning of ‘like a girl’ from an insult into something positive and amazing.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/like-a-girl-super-bowl_n_6572568.html?ir=Sports&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000019

(Video, http://youtu.be/yIxA3o84syY)

Washington Wizards Nene and Wife Lauren Announce Partnership with “Blessings in a Backpack” to Impact the Youth of Washington D.C. and Denver
“It’s an honor to partner with Blessings to provide nutritious food to families who otherwise may not have the opportunity or the means,” Nene said. “Through this program Lauren and I can help make sure these children have healthy food choices, especially during the weekend, the toughest time for parents. We feel extremely fortunate and are passionate about effecting positive change in the communities that embraced us and that we call home.” “As parents, we want to provide every possible advantage to our children and part of that starts with their health and nutrition. A balanced and healthy diet gives kids energy and makes them eager to learn and be active – a recipe for success,” said Lauren. “Working with Blessings and seeing the incredible impact they have nationally made our partnership a natural fit and one we hope to grow for many years to come.”
http://www.bdasports.com/washington-wizards-nene-and-wife-lauren-announce-partnership-with-blessings-in-a-backpack-to-impact-the-youth-of-washington-d-c-and-denver/

Arizona Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson Reveals First “Patrick’s Corner” to Nevitt Elementary School Students and Families
“We are so grateful to be the recipient of this generous donation from the Patrick Peterson Foundation for Success, and we are so thankful for this opportunity for our students and Nevitt Elementary School,” said Principal Andrew Lebowitz. “At Nevitt, we feel that reading is the foundation of a successful education, which is the building block for a prosperous life. ‘Patrick’s Corner’ will encourage students to read for enjoyment, help expose them to a variety of books and allow them to find pleasure in reading on their journeys to become life-long readers.” The Patrick Peterson Foundation for Success aims to install eight “Patrick’s Corners” in Title I schools and inner city community centers throughout Arizona by the end of 2017 to make more than 20,000 books available to over 5,000 children annually.
http://patrickpeterson.org/page.aspx?ID=1018

The Grassroot Project: College Athletes Educating Children to Help End HIV/AIDS
The Grassroot Project’s curriculum focuses on creating fun, friendly and safe environments in which youth can learn healthy lifestyles. It gives students from middle and high schools a chance to share their feelings and beliefs while developing healthy attitudes and behaviors pertaining to HIV/AIDS through the use of interactive games and activities. The use of sports to influence social change and the ability of student athletes to connect to those in the program are what makes this an effective way of learning.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-d-rosenstein/the-grassroot-project-col_b_6595264.html

With Boston 2024 bid, a chance to shift the paradigm
Blauwet brings a rare trifecta to Boston 2024: athlete, doctor, and long-time advocate for the Paralympics and adaptive sports. In many ways, her role with the bid committee is an extension of her work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in sports medicine and at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Through Spaulding, she encourages participation in all levels of adaptive sports. She believes that “whether or not you aspire to be the world’s best athlete, there’s something about sports and the Paralympic Games that lights that spark in people.”
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/02/01/with-boston-bid-chance-shift-the-paradigm/17bJOqhNe6QhJpRLq7UsBJ/story.html?event=event25

Cheri Blauwet, co-chair of the Boston 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Movement Committee, addresses reporters during a news conference by organizers of Boston’s campaign for the 2024 Summer Olympics on Jan. 21.

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Contact InformationSarbjit “Sab” Singh
sab@sportsdoinggood.com
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