Jaguars' quarterback Mark Brunell has been named the September recipient of the Jaguars-Morgan Stanley Community Leader Award, presented monthly during the NFL season to the Jaguars player that demonstrates exemplary community involvement.
In partnership with Morgan Stanley, a $500 donation will be made to The Mark Brunell Foundation, which is committed to enriching the lives of children who face chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Four players will be named monthly winners during the 2001 season. The program will conclude in December with a year-end luncheon at ALLTEL Stadium when an additional $3,000 charity donation will be made to the player selected as the 2001 Community Leader of the Year. The Jaguars' 2000 Community Leader of the Year was former punter Bryan Barker.
Brunell and his wife, Stacy, are active supporters of Wolfson Children's Hospital. Each spring, his Foundation hosts a charity golf tournament to benefit the children's hospital and to fund other Foundation programs. Since 1997 the Landstar-Mark Brunell Charity Golf Tournament has contributed more than $550,000 to the hospital, specifically for children receiving pediatric and neonatal intensive care. The Brunell's frequently visit and comfort children receiving care at Wolfson's.
In addition to supporting the children's hospital, Brunell serves as a spokesman for All-Pro Dad, a nationwide program focusing on responsible fatherhood, serves as an honorary board member for Dreams Come True, supports Jacksonville's Ronald McDonald House and most recently started a campus ministry at the University of North Florida. In August he spearheaded an effort among his teammates to donate $75,000 to Edward Waters College to help reestablish the school's football program.
For more information, contact the Community Affairs Department at (904) 633-6582.