FORMER PLAYERS, HISTORIC RIVALS ANNOUNCE NEW CHARITABLE
FOUNDATION
Letterwinners from 3 of college football’s
legendary rivals form a unique partnership through the
Make a Play Foundation, a new charitable organization
that will impact children across Florida
MIAMI, Fla – August 21, 2008 –
Legendary former football players of Florida, Florida
State and Miami have developed programs and initiatives
designed to create opportunities for children in their
hometowns by providing academic and recreational grants
through a new charitable organization, the Make a Play
Foundation. The 501(c)(3) organization is a unique
partnership between former players of three of college
football’s most storied rivals and will partner
with established community organizations and individual
player foundations to provide grants promoting
leadership, accountability and confidence in children
around the state of Florida.
“There are so many kids out there that
don’t have goals or expectations of themselves
because they don’t have access or the opportunity
for bigger things,” co-founder Terry Jackson
said. “Anything we can do to help get them
involved in something that interests them, whether
it’s sports, music, art or education, it’s
worth it.”
The organization’s goal is to use a collective
voice to help promote growth and change for children in
their hometowns, building on what several individual
players have already done by devoting their time,
leadership and financial support to a range of causes.
The Make a Play Foundation’s vision is to provide
academic or recreational grants designed to fund
educational field trips, improve or build community
playgrounds and athletic fields, provide college
scholarships, develop leadership programs, reward
academic improvements or success, purchase athletic
equipment and uniforms, support musical programs,
provide computers and technology to local community
centers and fund additional family-based programs.
Founding members of the Player Panel include Neal
Anderson (UF), James Bates (UF), Lomas Brown (UF),
Warrick Dunn (FSU), Earnest Graham (UF), Jacquez Green
(UF), Terry Jackson (UF), Willie Jackson, Jr. (UF),
Marvin Jones (FSU), Nick Maddox (FSU), Shane Matthews
(UF), Santana Moss (Miami), Sinorice Moss (Miami),
Burgess Owens (Miami), Errict Rhett (UF), Leon Searcy
(Miami), Max Starks (UF), Fred Weary (UF) and Lawrence
Wright (UF).
“So many players are out there doing things on
the local level, this just provides a network between
us to do bigger things, help us expand and
build,” Jackson said. “We’ve always
supported each other’s community projects, this
just gives us the opportunity to pull together and
bring fans into the competition and have a little fun
with it.”
One hundred percent of individual fan donations will go
towards youth and family grants thanks to the
generosity of corporate partners and members of the
Player Panel who will underwrite the foundation’s
operating expenses.
Programs will focus on having a local presence as
resources raised in each specific area will be invested
back into those communities through hometown grants.
Players and fans will also have the opportunity to
directly support children and families in their
communities through an option to specify that financial
donations are designated for children in one of seven
areas: the Panhandle; North Central Florida;
Jacksonville; Tampa-St.Pete; Orlando and the East
Coast; Southwest Florida and Miami-Dade and Broward
counties.
Along with providing opportunities and access to
at-risk youth, the Make a Play Foundation will also
focus the energy and spirit of the three rivalry weeks
by launching state-wide fan competitions. The week
leading up to each rivalry game promises to bring fans
into the battle, making them an active player in some
of the most intense rivalries in all of sports. The
foundation will partner with a different national or
regional charity and dedicate service hours and
donations to the adopted organization during the
head-to-head competition weeks. The 2008 college
football schedule includes games at all three
universities: Florida hosts Miami in Gainesville on
September 6th, Miami will host Florida State at Dolphin
Stadium on October 4th and Florida will travel to
Tallahassee to face Florida State on November 29th.
The Make a Play Foundation was established and provided
Publix and Wal-Mart gift cards to 250 families in
Miami, Tallahassee and Gainesville to purchase holiday
meals last December. The cards were distributed through
three organizations: the Refuge House of North Florida,
Peaceful Paths Domestic Abuse Network of North Central
Florida and the CBS4 Neighbors4Neighbors Holiday
Adopt-a-Family program in South Florida. The Refuge
House of North Florida and the Peaceful Paths Domestic
Abuse Network are two organizations that focus on
assisting families and victims of domestic violence
while the CBS4 Neighbors4Neighbors organization assists
South Florida families in crisis for a variety of
different issues.
The foundation will expand to include alumni of all
Florida colleges and universities to develop the power
to promote change for children and families around the
state. For more information on the Make a Play
Foundation and partnering player foundations, please
visit the official Web site at
www.makeaplayfoundation.org.
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION:
The Make a Play Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization
that represents a unique partnership of former players
of three of college football’s legendary rivals
– Florida, Florida State and Miami- and will
partner with established community organizations and
individual player foundations to create opportunities
for underprivileged children through academic and
recreational grants, designed to promote confidence and
leadership. The organization’s goal is to use a
collective voice to help promote growth and change for
children in former players’ hometowns.