Jaguars and the NFL Community Programs

NFL Tuesdays

NFL Tuesdays are the traditional days off for players during the season, but many players use that day to go to work in their communities. A few examples are visiting children in the hospital, speaking to high school football teams, reading books to elementary school children, and filming public service announcements.

BCBSFL Community Champions Award

The Jaguars with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) partner to present the BCBSFL Community Champion Award to a Jaguars player, and deserving BCBSF (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida) employee who demonstrates exemplary community involvement.

Community Quarterback Award

The NFL Community Quarterback Award is a program that recognizes outstanding community and youth volunteers in all 32 NFL markets. Each year, this program awards more than $1 million to the charitable organizations that they serve.

Food Drive

Since the inception of the team in 1995, the Jaguars have organized an annual holiday food drive each fall in conjunction with the Lutheran Social Services Second Harvest Food Bank.

Gift Of Life Blood Drive

The Florida Georgia Blood Alliance and the Jaguars team up each year including the Gift of Life, a holiday blood drive held at a local shopping mall each December when blood supplies are at critically low levels.

Habijax

Wayne and Delores Weaver, Jaguars staff, players and cheerleaders volunteer each spring during the homebuilding blitz to offer a hand up to those less fortunate who are willing to work and make the commitment of home ownership a reality.

Hospital Visits

Players on any given Tuesday led by long snapper Joe Zelenka make several visits to Wolfson Children’s Hospital to meet with the kids, sign autographs or to push the Wolfie Cart around to each room.

Jaguars Readers

This is a special reading program at local elementary schools supported by Jaguars front office staff since 1997. Staff volunteers commit to spend an hour each week at the school where students read some of their favorite books.

Junior Jaguars At Training Camp

The Jaguars work with several corporate partners to identify and host small groups of children for a special day during the team’s annual training camp held during the summer on the Jaguars Practice Fields at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

Junior Community Quarterback Award

Through the Junior Community Quarterback Award, high school and college students are encouraged to apply for grants of $1,000-$5,000 to help finance a student-initiated project focused on community betterment.

Join The Team Classroom Project

This program introduces elementary/middle school students to local community causes; present the opportunity for students to work together in a group format allowing them to gain confidence in their interaction abilities; learn camaraderie and how to compromise and enhance accountability.

Morgan Stanley Community Leader Award

Since 2001, the Jaguars have partnered with Morgan Stanley, one of the country’s largest investment banking and brokerage firms, to sponsor the Community Leader Award. This honor is designed to recognize those Jaguars players making an impact in the Jacksonville community.

NFL - United Way Partnership/Hometown Huddle/PSA Campaign

For over 30 years, the NFL and the United Way have partnered to help build stronger, healthier communities. Whether it's reaching out to disadvantaged youth or feeding the hungry, both are committed to raising public awareness of important social service issues.

NFL Tackling Hunger

Campbell Soup Company and the NFL have been working together to tackle hunger across the country since 1997, generating millions of pounds of soup can donations to food banks in NFL communities.

Operation Blessing

This program is dedicated to serving families in need on the First Coast. Each November over 3,000 families in the Jacksonville area receive bags of mixed grocery products donated by growers, food processors, and manufacturers.

Jaguars Rookie Club

The Jaguars Rookie Club was created to introduce and involve first-year players, as a group, in charitable/civic activities.

Shop With A Jaguar

The Jacksonville Jaguars and DICK’S Sporting Goods teamed up in 2005 to present the 1st Annual Shop with a Jaguar. This program is designed to bring holiday joy to children from various community agencies in Jacksonville.

Taste Of The NFL

Branching out from the national event held every year at the Super Bowl, Jacksonville is one of 13 NFL cities which has launched a local Taste of the NFL dinner to help raise awareness in the fight against hunger.

Walter Payton Man Of The Year Award

The Walter Payton-NFL Man of the Year Award is the only League-sponsored award honoring players for the outstanding balance they achieve between professional and civic responsibilities. Established in 1970, this prestigious NFL award was created to recognize the commitment of NFL players to public service.