Food baskets await distribution. Student-athletes from Austin-East (Knoxville, TN) assisted in the preparing and distribution of the baskets.

It is said that it is better to give than receive. Play It Smart schools across the country have been putting this adage in action throughout the year and during the holiday season. But the student-athletes do receive something for all their giving this holiday season. Many of the athletes get the feeling of accomplishment and selflessness as they give back to their community and help their fellow neighbors and peers.

“It was such a tremendous opportunity for our student-athletes to realize how lucky they are to have a roof over there head and food on the table. I also explained to them how important it was to come to school and get an education so they can have a good job and pay the bills for themselves and their family!” said Heidi Turk, the Academic Coach at George Washington High in Indianapolis, IN. Whose team served meals to the homeless. “Our students have been very involved in the community the past month and it has been a wonderful experience.”

Not only are the students receiving a wonderful experience in helping their community they are getting the opportunity to practice their leadership skills outside of the athletic arena.

“It is wonderful to witness the growth and development of these young men while they are interacting with youth who have a common interest,” said the Academic Coach at Portland High (Portland, ME) Audrey McKenzie.

Below is a sampling of some of the events that Play It Smart schools have done or planning to do this holiday season.

At North Plainfield (North Plainfield, NJ) participants have done many events such as volunteering at soup kitchens and blood drives. The student-athletes are planning several holiday event including building homes with Habitat for Humanity, toy distribution and assisting with a holiday brunch at a local church.

The 23 Houston Independent School District Play It Smart schools participated by working the phone lines at a local food bank and the schools also boxed up food to hand out to the needy.

Student-athletes at Somerville (Somerville, NJ) raised money for the Haitian school collapse relief fund. The students have also partnered with local community groups to clean city parks.

At Topeka (Topeka, KS) student-athletes collected 100 coats in a single day during their Share the Warmth Coat Drive. Student-athletes also assisted in preparation of a community Thanksgiving dinner. Throughout the holiday season the student-athletes will be raising funds to purchase toys for 418 head start children, the students plan to help the toddlers open and play with the gifts.

Armstrong (Richmond, VA) football players donated and collected coats for kids that were taken to Puritan Cleaners for cleaning and then distributed to needy children in the Richmond area. The student-athletes also served as special volunteers at the local children’s museum during the Tea with Santa event.

E.C. Glass (Lynchburg, VA) student-athletes are working with Salvation Army to collect toys, canned goods, non-perishables and other items throughout the holiday season.

The entire student body at Ben Davis (Indianapolis, IN) collected canned food, bought, turkeys, and delivered everything Thanksgiving week. The students volunteered their time for the deliveries and final boxing of the food. Two senior football players, David Craig and Mike Covington, each volunteered 11 hours for the Thanksgiving Food Drive. The football team and Riley Children’s Hospital are teaming up to sell Riley Limited Edition Holiday Ornaments with the proceeds going towards the hospital.

The George Washington (Indianapolis, IN) boys and girls basketball teams served dinner to the homeless at the Wheeler Mission Shelter on November 24th. Also, after participating in the community service event and volunteering at the Colts Father/Son Camp the football players were invited back for the second Father/Son Camp and Colts Women's 201camp on December.

The Austin-East (Knoxville, TN) football team helped prepare and deliver Christmas Food Baskets to the Knoxville community. The mission of the News Sentinel Empty Stocking Fund (ESF) is to provide food and toys to disadvantaged East Tennesseans during the holidays. The Empty Stocking Fund feeds approximately 3,500 families, about 12,000 people in total, and supplies toys to more than 2,300 children yearly. Each family receives a food basket with 70 pounds of food. The baskets contain a turkey, fresh produce, canned goods and much more.

Clay (South Bend, IN) student-athletes participated in a canned food drive on Nov.26, 2008. The canned goods were distributed to different food shelters and organizations throughout the South Bend community. Some of the student-athletes participated in Rock the House, 2008 School House, "Race to Midnight". Kids from all the local high schools volunteered to build a house from 8 AM to Midnight, start to finish.

In Lynchburg, VA an effort to foster positive mentoring relationships within the community has been taken by the Heritage Football Team. The team hosted the first "Kid's Night Out!" on December 5th. The football players will be provided structured activity in the gym for three fun filled hours!

In Indianapolis, IN student-athletes from Broad Ripple will help pack and distribute Christmas Baskets for needy families in the Indianapolis community.

Westport (Kansas City, MO) student-athletes have been cleaning trash, litter and debris from school grounds and surrounding areas.

The Arsenal Tech (Indianapolis, IN) athletic teams will be collecting food items and blankets. The team that collects the most items will win a pizza party.

Glenville (Cleveland, OH) players will volunteer at the Mayor’s Holiday Basket Giveaway. Volunteers will distribute hundreds of holiday meals to low-income families, elderly, and disabled citizens of Cleveland.

Patterson (Baltimore, MD) student-athletes have been reading, tutoring, and hosting sports clinics for elementary school students. The students plan to continue reading, tutoring, and hosting the sports clinics throughout the holiday season.

Portland (Portland, ME) is currently involved in a Mitten Drive for the Portland's homeless, we are trying to get involved with the "Wreaths Across America" and will be continuing our relationship with the soup kitchen. One of the main activities for the soup kitchen has been the Thanksgiving Day “Unloading the Bus”. The student-athletes spend 3-4 hours with various people while unloading a school bus and box truck full of food commodities.

South San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) student-athletes helped bag up 42,000 pounds of rice to give to the needy. The players bagged the rice up one pound at a time.

Student-athletes at Worthing (Houston, TX) will hold a blanket drive for the homeless community.

Chandler (Chandler, AZ) was involved with the Chandler City Parks and Recreation Play Day, the students helped set up and break down a number of booths and helped run several events sponsored by the Arizona Cardinals. On November 25participants donated 20 turkeys to the Channel 12 / Basha's Turkey Tuesday to benefit the St. Vincent DePaul Food Distribution Center. Eight athletes delivered the turkeys to the Chandler Food City (division of Bashas).

On November 25, 2008, Student-athletes from Anacostia (Washington DC) volunteered to distribute holiday food baskets at FedEx Field.

Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, CA) student-athletes will be volunteering at local the Habitat for Humanity, the Long Beach Rescue Mission, and the Long Beach Miller Children's Hospital
throughout the holiday season.

Clarke Central (Athens, GA) student-athletes volunteered at the Alps Road Elementary School Fall Festival. The festival was a fundraiser for the school. The football players assisted in games, collecting tickets and performing other tasks at the festival.

New Brunswick (New Brunswick, NJ) had 21 volunteers working at the Special Olympics-Youth Athletes Program. The student-athletes have also read to kindergarten classes, volunteered at the New Jersey food bank, Elijah's Promise Soup Kitchen and the Rose Mountain Care Center. The student-athletes moved gifts for the Institute for Children with Cancer and Blood Disorders holiday party. They were holiday party helpers for the Institute for Children with Cancer and Blood Disorders holiday party helpers, and Big Chill 5K Run course guides.

The girls’ soccer team at Westside (Houston, TX) is spearheading a toy drive for the first time in hopes of gathering gifts for abused children at Depelchin Center.

At Greene County (Greensboro, GA) the student-athletes hosted a fall festival providing trick-or-treating in a safe environment along with face painting and other activities for children. The leadership team has planned Christmas for a needy family in Greensboro. They are raising money now by selling candy, and they will use all funds to make dinner for the family and buy presents for all of the children.

At Jefferson Davis (Houston, TX) the football team participated in Walk for Success in October. The student-athletes helped walk and recruit those students that have dropped out of school. The boys and girls basketball teams donated over 200 toys to children aged 5-17 that would be in the hospital for the holidays.

C.A. Johnson (Columbia, SC) participated in feeding the homeless and a clothing drive giveaway on Thanksgiving Day.


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With major financial support from the NFL and the NFL Players Association, and a broad-coalition of corporations, communities, individuals and organizations, the program has quickly become one of the most comprehensive and effective youth mentoring programs, achieving dramatic results that include:

• 95% of seniors graduating high school, compared to 76% of their peers;



• 80% of seniors enrolling in college compared to 63% of their peers;



• Participants completing more than 55,000 service hours annually;



• Participants earning more than $8 million a year in scholarships; and



• 270-plus graduates earning places among the elite collegiate ranks during the 2008 season on Football Bowl and Championship Subdivision rosters.

Prominent alumni include Ohio State’s Ted Ginn, Jr. (Miami Dolphins), Rutgers’ Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens), California’s Desean Jackson (Philadelphia Eagles), Miami’s Leon Williams (Cleveland Browns), LSU’s Craig Davis (San Diego Chargers) and Super Bowl champion Jay Alford, who attended Penn State, and currently plays with the World Champion New York Giants.
Play It Smart builds on the positive peer influences of team sports and a participant's interest in football. The program's academic coaches are trained in a set of guiding principles and a variety of tactics, which are designed to make academic achievement the norm. Working closely with the direct support of a team's head coach and others in the community, academic coaches hold one-on-one goal setting meetings, career and life skills sessions, mandatory study halls, SAT/ACT prep classes, community service projects and other team building events.

ABOUT PLAY IT SMART
Play It Smart is an educational program established in 1998 by The National Football Foundation. The program's mission is to help student-athletes take responsibility for their futures through lessons learned on the playing field, in the classroom, and in service to others. At the heart of the program is a year-round academic coach, an official member of a team's staff, who serves as a direct link to the classroom by helping players and the team set and achieve their academic and personal development goals during the entire school year. Learn more at www.PlayItSmart.org.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME:
With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. The NFF presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., Play It Smart, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.