More than 600 youth were awarded a ticket to one of the first two Jaguars home games, part of more than 3,000 youth who will participate in the Jaguars Foundation's Honor Rows this season. The Foundation partners with Reebok and 38 Jacksonville area nonprofit agencies which provide goal-setting programs for economically and socially disadvantaged youth to earn a seat to a Jaguars home game. Since the inaugural season of 1995, a total of 43,300 Honor Rows seats have been awarded to youth, parents, staff and volunteers, including 4,150 for the 2007 season.
With assistance from parents, mentors and agency staff, youth ages 9 to 17 seek to improve themselves and the community by setting and achieving goals for academic and behavioral improvement, increasing physical activity and eating more nutritionally, and providing volunteer community service. Program duration is a minimum of eight weeks, with some programs continuing for a much longer period. All youth take an anti-substance abuse pledge to abstain from illegal drugs, tobacco products and alcohol. The child's parents or guardians co-sign the pledge card agreeing to support the youth in their promise. Historically, more than 90% of youth meet their goals and earn their seat.
In addition to a game day ticket, Honor Rows participants receive a complimentary meal, t-shirt, cap, pledge card, and certificate of completion, courtesy of Reebok, Honor Rows co-sponsor. During the game, Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver lead The ROAR and Jaguars fans in a wave to congratulate the youth, seated in the north end zone, in recognition of their accomplishment, while the youths' enthusiastic response is shown on the large end zone video screens. Game day volunteers provided through the United Way of Northeast Florida ensure that the youth have a safe and enjoyable game day experience.
Honor Rows is the largest of the Foundation's charitable seating programs, which also includes Sailors Aweigh (providing home-game tickets for youth whose parents are on deployment with the U.S. Navy), youth football associations in low-income neighborhoods, HabiJax volunteers, Ronald McDonald House families, and others. The Foundation allocates more than $420,000 worth of home-game seats to charitable purposes annually.
Below are the 2007 Honor Rows grant recipients and their assigned home game:
Tennessee Titans
Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Florida
Boys & Girls Club of NE Florida
Community Connections of Jacksonville
The Bridge of Northeast Florida
Atlanta Falcons
Central Metropolitan CME Church
Communities in Schools of Jacksonville Team Up
Families FIRST
Gateway Community Services
Jacksonville Marine Institute
Northeast Florida Community Action Agency
Northside Community Involvement
Houston Texans
Child Guidance Center
Jewish Family & Community Services
MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation
Northeast Florida Community Action Agency
River Region Human Services
Shands Jacksonville Sickle Cell Program
State Attorney's Office
The Children's Place
United Congregations for Communities & Youth
Indianapolis Colts
(Night Game: no youth attending.)
San Diego Chargers
Children's Home Society
Communities in Schools of Nassau County
Community Connections of Jacksonville
EPIC Community Services
Guardian of Dreams
Buffalo Bills
Bethel Baptist B.E.S.T. Academy
Boys & Girls Club of NE Florida
daniel, Inc.
Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library
Girls Inc. of Jacksonville
Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville Beaches
Metro Kids Konnection
Police Athletic League of Jacksonville
Potter's House Christian Academy
Carolina Panthers
Communities in Schools of Jacksonville
Communities in Schools of St. Johns County
Duval County 4-H Foundation
Empowerment Resources
PACE Center for Girls
Sanctuary of Northeast Florida
Oakland Raiders
Communities in Schools of Jacksonville
Duval County 4-H Foundation
The Bridge of Northeast Florida
YMCA Baker County
The Jaguars Foundation seeks to leverage local, state, and national resources to serve economically and socially disadvantaged youth and families in greater Jacksonville. Other Foundation programs include Grant making to area non-profit agencies totaling more than $10.3 million since 1995; The Official Playbooks®, an innovative program established in 1996 in partnership with public libraries to inspire young people to read; Straight Talk™, designed to educate and reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy and the spread of AIDS and other sexuality transmitted infections through a strategic partnership with local media organizations; "What Moves U," a youth anti-obesity initiative in partnership with Wolfson Children's Hospital, the NFL and the American Heart Association; and the "Jaguars Don't Smoke" youth anti-tobacco initiative established in partnership with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to reduce smoking among youth.
