The Jacksonville Jaguars announced today 10 local finalists for the NFL Community Quarterback Award, a volunteer recognition program that will donate nearly $1 million to community organizations served by outstanding volunteers.
Ten Jacksonville-area non-profit organizations will receive grants of $1,000 and 10 local volunteers will be eligible to be named the team's Community Quarterback. The volunteer who receives the Jaguars Community Quarterback Award will have a $10,000 grant donated in his/her name to the charity for which they volunteer.
On November 28 at an 11:30 a.m. luncheon at The River Club, Jaguars owners Delores and Wayne Weaver will announce the team winner and two runners-up from the finalists noted below. The designated charities of the two runners-up will each receive an additional $2,500 grant. All 31 team winners will be eligible for the national NFL Community Quarterback Award, which will be announced in December by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by the NFL. NFL Charities will also make a $25,000 donation to the organization where the national winner volunteers.
Funded by NFL Charities, the NFL Community Quarterback Award recognizes community and youth volunteers who demonstrate leadership, dedication and a commitment to bettering their communities. The nomination process is fulfilled by charitable organizations that nominate their notable volunteers. NFL Charities will donate grants to the non-profit establishments served by the award winners. A local nomination committee made up of team representatives and community leaders reviewed nominations for the team's winner.
NFL Charities, created in 1973, is a non-profit organization created by the member clubs of the National Football League to enable the clubs to collectively make grants to charitable and worthwhile causes on the national level. Since its inception, NFL Charities has made more than $37 million in grant commitments to more than 250 different organizations.
Finalists for the 2000 Jaguars Community Quarterback Award:
Holly S. Bendig, Baptist Home for Children
Christopher Coleman, Historic St. Johns County Police Athletic League
Susan Greene, Community Connections (formerly the YWCA)
Fred Kowkabany, State Attorney's Office - Youth Crisis Center
Elizabeth Livingston, All Saints Early Learning & Community Care Center, Inc.
Mildred Thompson, PACE Center for Girls Jacksonville
Edward L. "Butch" Toney, I.M. Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless
Ian Turley, YMCA of Florida's First Coast - Claude J. Yates Branch
Louis Walsh, The Guardian of Dreams
Mrs. Rose Watson, The Salvation Army
