After meeting and forming the Blackhawk Alumni Association, the group developed a threefold mission statement for their non-profit Alumni Association. The three goals for the Association are to provide a scholarship fund for the “most deserving” high school hockey player in Illinois; become involved in community affairs and charitable causes; and protect and take care of their fellow alumni with a players helping players mindset.

Former Chicago Blackhawk winger and Stan Mikita’s road roommate Cliff Koroll has been the President of the Blackhawk Alumni Association since the passing of longtime friend and founding member Keith Magnuson in 2003. Entering and exiting the NHL together, the two were practically inseparable.

”I’m very proud of how we have established our Blackhawk Alumni,” stated Koroll. “We wanted to select a focal point in the community in which to support when we first started and to us that was education, so we started giving the scholarships to high school hockey players in the state of Illinois,” he continued. “It’s been 25 years since we started doing this and we’ve given out 82 scholarships for a total of $1 million in education.”

Although the Blackhawk Alumni Association does a lot of the charity work on their own, they help out other charities in Illinois that need the help. Before the Association was established, the team would help out with whatever community events were going on in the city. They learned a lot about giving back to the community while playing for the Blackhawks in the NHL and they ended up taking their knowledge and experiences and transformed them into something much more powerful and inspiring for the city of Chicago and Illinois as a whole.

“A lot of times we went to the hospitals to visit kids; helped with fundraisers for various charities in the area; helped the Special Olympics; helped out with church groups, basically anything we were able to do to help the community, we were a part of,” recounted the Canora, Saskatchewan native.

“The one thing that was passed on from era to era was to give back. I remember Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita took Keith Magnuson and I aside during our rookie year and said ‘Hey, you’re coming with us, we’re going to this church down the street to sign some autographs and raise some money,’ so we weren’t going to say to no to those guys, you just couldn’t,” elucidated Koroll. “I’m happy that stuff like that has been passed on from generation to generation in the hockey world and it continues to do so.”

One of the biggest charities that Koroll and the Blackhawk Alumni Association help out is the Ronald McDonald House Charities. For many years they have been supporting the charity and just recently sponsored a family room in the new house that is being built downtown Chicago. Aside from that, Koroll recently did a hockey tournament in Edmonton where they raised $40,000 for the Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton.

“We donate about $100,000 to $125,000 to various charities each year, including our scholarship program,” mentioned Koroll. “I’m not sure if we’re going to get bigger worldwide but we are hoping to be able to increase the amount of the scholarships for these kids.”

Each year the Blackhawk Alumni Association honours three high school hockey players from Illinois with a scholarship. With nearly 75-100 applications coming in each year, the committee selects their three “most deserving” students based on need, their grades and their community involvement.

The city of Chicago, as well as former and current Blackhawk players, has been very supportive of the Blackhawk Alumni Association over the years. Aside from  the support they’ve been getting locally over the years, teams all across the league have recognized what they’ve been doing and how successful they’ve been with it and have started to seek guidance from Cliff and the Blackhawk Alumni Association.

“I’ve received calls from about six or seven NHL teams seeking information and support to find out how we run our Alumni Association so they can do the same for theirs,” indicated Koroll. “I think the word has gotten around for the good things that we do for our Alumni and I’m very proud of that,” he added.

“I was just recently out in LA because Luc Robitaille wanted to improve what they were doing with the LA Kings and their Alumni so I went out there and spent some time with the people at the LA Kings, just to share what we do with our Alumni.“

Cliff Koroll understands that with other teams seeking their guidance to follow in the path of success, that it truly is a compliment to have so many people recognize the good that they do on a daily and yearly basis for both the Alumni and the residents of Illinois. With today’s technology being so advanced with all the social media sites, there’s no telling how popular and well-known the Blackhawk Alumni Association can become, especially as more and more generations of Blackhawk players start to join in on the good cause.

For more information on the Blackhawk Alumni Association, visit http://www.blackhawkalumni.com/

“I’ve been doing this stuff since I was in high school. When I was at the University of Central Florida I did a lot of charity work; such as visits to the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital, served a lot of Thanksgiving dinners at churches, did speaking engagements for youth attention facilities and visited some jails in the Orlando area to talk to the kids who were in the drug program,” explained Robertson.

“I’ve always wanted to have my own cancer charity program,” he added. “Rather than partnering up with somebody, I can have my initiatives with my own awareness campaigns and goals, stuff to that nature.”

Taylor Robertson was selected by the Calgary Stampeders with the 11^th overall pick in the second round of the 2003 CFL Draft and helped make an impact in the city of Calgary and to Stampeders Nation in no time.

“When I went to Calgary in my first year as a pro, I did numerous events with the Stampeders and helped set up a partnership with the Stampeders and the Canadian Cancer Society that is still in play until this day,” said the 2007 CFL Eastern All-Star.

“While doing everything in Calgary with the Canadian Cancer Society; all the events, promos, meetings, press conferences, etc., in the back of my mind I always thought it’d be great to have my own initiative one day,” described Robertson. “I was very contempt with what we were doing though as we were helping in the building stages of something that is huge,“ he added. “I knew exactly what I wanted to do when it came to giving back to the community and how I would do it and this kind of put everything into perspective for me and gave me a better understanding.”

Although Taylor played a huge role in Calgary, especially during the 2006 season when he helped contribute to Joffrey Reynolds’ CFL leading 1,609 rushing yards, he was traded to the Toronto Argonauts during the offseason in exchange for a 1^st and a 3^rd Round pick in the 2007 CFL Canadian Draft. For Taylor, the move took him away from everything he established in Calgary and everything that he helped with since he arrived, but he was excited to come to Toronto to bring the awareness to a different city.

“Being in Toronto and being on more of a national scale, it has allowed me to do things I couldn’t have done in Calgary, like helping out in the planning and launching of the CFL Pink,” stated the three-time Argos nominee for Outstanding Lineman. “The awareness level in the city of Calgary, we did a lot of great things there, but now that we’re in Toronto and I started my own program, we’ve been able to reach out to different markets and not just one locally.”

“When I came to Toronto, I participated in some Argos programs like the Huddle-Up Against Bullying Prevention program where we went around to schools in the GTA and spoke to the children about anti-bullying and I was also a mentor in The Argos Foundation’s Youth Mentorship Program,” he added.

In September of 2010, Taylor Robertson accomplished what he has always set out to do and that’s creating his own cancer-related charity. Taylor created Life On The Line; a non-profit initiative that supports breast cancer research and helps raise awareness by activating the community, especially men, through events and other awareness programs, as well as helping to raise funds for breast cancer research.

“The one message I always try to convey out there is that breast cancer is a dominantly female disease but men can get breast cancer and the rates are very low, but they’re still there,” expressed Robertson. “The odds of getting breast cancer as a woman is 1 in 9 and for every woman who comes across the disease, there’s a man behind the scenes whether it be a husband, a boyfriend, a father, a brother, a son,” he continued. “There’s someone out there that needs to be there for support and can be educated, whether it’s before, during prevention, during a self-check, during treatment or after treatment.”

Throughout his CFL career, Taylor has continuously worked with the league and the community to help raise the awareness of breast cancer. His community events and programs that he makes available through Life On The Line have raised thousands of dollars over the years for breast cancer research. He understands how vital it is to raise the awareness through sports because with the demographic in professional sports being predominantly males, he needs to connect with them on a level where they’ll be able to get the information across about any Pink events or runs that are going on to help raise awareness.

“We’re trying to get the message out there and with the CFL helping out with the CFL Pink, it has been huge,” explained Robertson. “For every woman that has cancer, there’s a man behind that so we’re trying to incorporate that into sports as much as possible.”

For the many various programs Life On The Line has to offer, Robertson’s personal favourite of their signature programs is the Breast Brunch Ever program which is a brunch they have on Mother’s Day in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. For Taylor, this is his favourite program because he feels that it really gets the message across to the community.

“We made it a point to give out awareness kits in the gift bags at the brunch,” said Taylor. “We wanted people to go home and learn about the risks and more importantly the prevention that they can take. Someone happened to use those tools that we gave out and they came across something that needed further investigation and now they have a clean bill of health and that’s what this is all about,” he added. “We’re not trying to be lifesavers here, because we can’t, we’re just trying to help raise awareness for this disease and help prevent it,” he concluded.

Taylor Robertson understands that his professional football career will not last forever, but he does realize that the events the CFL and the teams that he plays for throughout his career host year after year will not be going anywhere anytime soon. The programs and events will continue to not only help raise awareness, but will continue to raise money as well for breast cancer research. Even after his career comes to an end, the programs and events that are in play to help raise awareness will not be expiring anytime soon. Year after year more and more people will come on board hoping to some day wipe out the disease entirely.

For more information on Life On The Line, visit http://lifeontheline.ca/home

For details about the Breast Brunch Ever, visit http://www.breastbrunchever.com/

Currently a board member of the Kings Care Foundation and the Kings Alumni Association, Jim Fox has proudly been a part of the Kings Care Foundation since day one and even played a role in starting it up.

“Before the days of Wayne Gretzky, we were a small team trying to find our way in a big city,” explained Fox. “I was sitting around with Phil Sykes in the locker room before practice one morning and we started talking about a charity golf event and us hosting one like the other teams in the league,” he added. “It wasn’t so much a ‘let’s give back thing’, it was more so a ‘let’s do what the other teams are doing and not take a back seat to them’ thing.”

“When I got injured and had to retire, I went directly from playing to the Community Relations department so that made it a little bit more hands-on for me so I could try and get not only the players involved, but their wives and families as well,” articulated Fox.

Twenty-two years ago it was nearly impossible for the Kings to compete in the same market with Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers and the much-hyped Oakland Raiders, who at the time were in the middle of the hype that N.W.A. brought to the team, proudly representing the black and silver wherever they went. Now, the Kings Care Foundation have received many awards for the work that they do within the community and the things that they do for their fans.

“It’s certainly something that I’m proud of, I will admit that,” declared Fox. “There was a lot of learning, a lot of hard work and a lot of obstacles, but nothing good comes easy. To be involved with the group from the beginning is something that I’m glad to be a part of.”

“Unfortunately my hockey career didn’t take off the way I wanted it to and the team didn’t necessarily have a lot of success, so I look back and consider the Kings Care Foundation as the place where I’ve helped the team the most and I will always remember that and hope to always be a part of it,” added the Coniston, Ontario native.

“It’s one of the top priorities in my life and it always has been. I’m not as hands-on as I used to be but that’s only because they have a full-time staff for that now, so that really shows the growth of it,” concluded the three-time Southern California Sports Broadcasters Sports TV Color Analyst Award winner.

One of the programs that the Kings Care Foundation has to offer to the community is their youth hockey camp, Kings Camp. Depending on what current players are in town at the time, they show up one of the days to assist Kings Alumni in helping to teach the kids some of the basics of hockey throughout the week that they are there. With hockey becoming more and more popular year after year in Los Angeles, the Kings do their best to help teach the kids about teamwork and leadership, on top of basic hockey skills.

“My favourite program is the Kings Camp that we have every summer because it’s gone through a lot of different stages from when it first started, as well as the state of youth hockey in Los Angeles in general,” stated Fox. “Before we had kids coming who were learning to skate and it’s still like that, a little bit, but now it is more so kids coming out looking to improve. The type of player that you are doesn’t matter though, because we’re just trying to introduce you to hockey because it’s a way to learn a lot of lessons in life and a way to stay fit.”

“It definitely has the most direct impact on the community,” he added. “I remember at another fundraiser called Tip-A-King, a gentleman in a Kings jersey came up to me and told me that he went to the very first Kings Camp in 1990 and now his son was involved in it and because of the Kings Camp we got to introduce a father to hockey who introduced his kid to it,” explained this year’s Southern California Sports Broadcasters Sports TV Pre-and-Post Game Show Award winner.

Despite having his career cut short to just nine seasons in the NHL, Jim Fox played every game in a Kings uniform and currently sits eighth on the Kings’ all-time scoring list with 479 points in 578 games; eighth in assists with 293; and ninth in goals with 186. He believes that he was just in the right place at the right time for the Kings Care Foundation but he embraces every single moment of it. He could have retired and left the team behind, but instead he stuck around and tried to do whatever it took to get the team involved with the community and the community to fall in love with the team.

“What comes to mind for me is the first time I got to meet Tim Leiweke who is the head of AEG who owns the Kings and the Staples Centre. I was working in Community Relations at the time and he said to me; ‘we’re going to work hard on the community and you know why? Because we should,’ and that’s all I had to hear and I will never forget that because when he said that, he made me feel like it was good to have someone who felt the exact same way that I did,” mentioned Fox.

“As professional athletes we are put into a position to help people more than other people can, as well as helping to expose certain things, so we have to do it. You don’t choose to be a role model, you are chosen.  Since you’re chosen, it’s good to give back as much as possible. No one’s perfect and everyone makes mistakes but kids choose you because you’re an athlete so every once in a while you try and give some thought to that and try to give back whenever you can.”

To learn more about the Kings Care Foundation and everything the Los Angeles Kings are up to within the community, visit http://kings.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=41362

Aside from being a well-known figure in the NBA and having a top selling shoe as a member of Team Jordan, Anthony exemplifies the attributes of a positive role model through his hard work and commitment to his teammates, coaches and fans, while demonstrating the importance and relevance of community assistance and care for those less fortunate.

In 2005, the Carmelo Anthony Foundation was established as a tool in which Anthony could give back to the community through multiple outreach programs. By highlighting the importance of education, recreation and community outreach, the Carmelo Anthony Foundation works to positively impact and change the lives of those living in underserved communities. The Foundation hosts multiple charity events, fundraisers and support programs, which inspire the less fortunate to “Be More” than what their current surroundings and circumstances allow them to be.

Melo also assists in operating the Carmelo Anthony Youth Development Center located in Baltimore, Maryland. The Youth Development Center provides support for the educational and social development of disadvantaged youth, providing the opportunity to engage in various activities and programs. Many of the children come from public housing or low-income neighbourhoods which lack much of the services provided within prosperous neighbourhoods and communities. The development center provides service in five important areas: education and career development; character and civic development; health and life skills; the arts and cultural enrichment; and sports and recreation.

Anthony also gives back to where he came from as he presented a grant to his former home, Syracuse University, for a new basketball practice facility which opened September 24, 2009. Melo also blends basketball with giving as he teamed up with his former coach at Syracuse University, Jim Boeheim, and helped the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation in creating Courts for Kids. With the help of sponsors, the joint program builds and refurbishes old basketball courts for kids in the disadvantaged socioeconomic areas of Syracuse and Puerto Rico.

Anthony’s work was recognized in 2006 when the premier philanthropic recourse for sports and entertainment, The Giving Back Fund, ranked Carmelo in their Top 10 of the Giving Back 30 report.

With Anthony recently being dealt to the New York Knicks, speculation of his desire to leave the city of Denver has left a dark cloud over his image for some people. The fact remains evident that Carmelo Anthony works hard to better the lives of those around him on and off the court. He is an athlete who should be admired for his pride in giving back just as much as he is admired for his game on the court.

To learn more about the Carmelo Anthony Foundation, visit http://www.carmelocares.org/carmelo-anthony-foundation

The Colts all-time leader in wins, passing touchdowns, pass attempts, completions and passing yards has been just as active in improving the lives of children across the city. In 1999, the Peyback Foundation was established with the goal of promoting and working to the future success of disadvantaged and at-risk youth through assisting leadership and growth programs, which provide opportunity.  Although the Foundation promotes and works based on a broad mission statement, its ultimate goal reaches out to as many children as possible, opening doors of opportunity for more than certain groups and classifications.

Peyton Manning not only serves as the Foundation’s President, but also keeps a close tab on all operations by remaining active in all major decisions and provides financial support for its services. His goal of allowing the Foundation to grow at a defined rate per year has been successful but he continues to strive for larger and more effective strategies to establish positive and effective opportunity for the children in Indiana, Louisiana and Tennessee. Whether it be the purchase of groceries and clothing or hosting events and celebrations at children’s hospitals and care facilities, the Peyback Foundation provides constant care and support.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Peyton, alongside younger brother Eli, provided assistance for those affected by the destructive storm. The brothers aided in providing relief by delivering 30,000 pounds of water, Gatorade, baby formula, diapers and pillows to the people of New Orleans. In 2007, St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis renamed its children’s hospital to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent in honor of Manning’s work with sick kids.  Manning immediately made a connection with the hospital upon his arrival in Indianapolis and has continued to work with and provide services.

Peyton Manning has easily become one of the NFL’s most marketable players over the last decade, which makes his work in the community even more special by not only inspiring those who have benefited from his work, but leading his fellow stars to do the same. Manning has received the American Dream Award for his work within the community and that of the Peyback Foundation. He has been a true leader for the Colts and a inspiring hero for the people who cheer for him night after night.

To learn more about the Peyback Foundation, visit http://www.peytonmanning.com/

In his first season as a starter on the Jets, Cotchery finished the year with 82 receptions, 961 receiving yards and scored six touchdowns; an improvement of 57 receptions, 650 receiving yards and six touchdowns from the two previous seasons combined. With Santana Moss departing for Washington, Cotchery and Coles became the go-to receivers for the Jets for the next few seasons. Following his first full season with the Jets, Cotchery was named the recipient of the Kyle Clifton Good Guy Award; an award that honours former Jets linebacker Kyle Clifton, who in their opinion is the best player of all-time to wear number 59.

The following year, he would match his 82 receptions, improve to 1,130 receiving yards, but was held to just two touchdowns for the season. Some may look at that year as a decline in his numbers but playing one game less than the previous season and playing on a team that finished 4-12; Cotchery’s awareness and leadership only improved during the horrid season for the Jets. He couldn’t repeat winning the Kyle Clifton Good Guy Award but instead won the 2007 Marty Lyons Award for his community service throughout the year.

After the horrible season, Cotchery was able to find his scoring touch again. He finished the season with five touchdowns on 71 receptions, finishing the season with 858 receiving yards. During the 2008 season he was voted by selected NFL players for the Ed Block Courage Award for being a role model of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage. The award is named after former Baltimore Colts trainer Ed Block and is handed out by the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation; an organization that focuses on promoting the prevention of child abuse and to raise awareness for the cause, as well as providing care for abused people.

Aside from the personal awards Jerricho has won over the years, he likes to focus on his own foundation. The Cotchery Foundation is a non-profit organization that was established to benefit underprivileged youth. Their mission is to inspire children to conceive and achieve goals through different programs and services designed to enhance their future. Over the years they have established several programs that were designed to provide proper mentoring and academic support to the underprivileged youth. Through the programs they also try and help show them the with initiative and determination they will be able to live a successful life doing what they want to do.  The main programs are Club 89; Keys to Reading Success; Jerricho’s Junior Leaders; and Skills and Drills Football Camp. With their programs focusing on youth, each one specializes in something different. Catch 89 is a mentoring program that helps students conceptualize life after high school and get their life on track. Keys to Reading Success teamed up with The Cotchery Foundation to allow students to improve their reading skills in a hands-on manner. This program helps children from as early as kindergarten, all the way up to grade 12. Jerricho’s Junior Leaders is an initiative that gives middle and high school students the opportunity to continue life skills training beyond their football camps. They gain values such as academic success, community involvement, and leadership skills. Additional benefits for the participants include youth having increased exposure to caring and supportive adults, involvement with positive peer groups, positive expectations and optimism for the future, and elimination of delinquent behaviours and beliefs. Last but not least, the Skills and Drills Football Camp is an annual one-day camp hosted by Jerricho Cotchery and other NFL players around the league as they take time out of their busy schedules to help teach kids the fundamentals of football and the important things in life that will help make them successful.

People take a look at Cotchery’s numbers and see an average wide receiver. In reality, Cotchery is one of the most underrated wide receivers in the NFL, with the leadership and skill to be a top receiver on any team in the league today. His numbers might not compare to guys like Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans or Reggie Wayne of the Indianapolis Colts, but he was always a top receiver during his stint with Gang Green. Playing on a team who also focuses a lot on their rushing game, Cotchery became a consistent 800+ yards receiver as a starter with the Jets and always showed up on the field. He is entering his eighth season in the NFL and is looking for a fresh start with the highly talented Pittsburgh Steelers. He will be surrounded by plenty of leadership that are only going to help make him better. He isn’t expected to put up 800+ yards with the Steelers since they have established receivers in Mike Wallace and Hines Ward, but Cotchery is going to be a great acquisition for their offense and organization and is going to open up things a little bit more for Ben Roethlisberger throughout the course of the season.

To learn more about The Cotchery Foundation, visit http://www.cotcheryfoundation.com/

However, the one thing that people don’t ever talk about when it comes to the New England Patriots is what they do as a team away from the game of football. Since 1994, the New England Patriots have had their own foundation called the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation; which is a non-profit organization that was established by Robert Kraft and his family to support charitable and philanthropic agencies throughout New England.

The Foundation finds many ways to donate money such as giving direct grants and donating signed memorabilia to different charitable causes, as well as having Patriots players appear at charity functions throughout the year if they choose to offer their direct support and time. It’s primary goal is to support programs that specialize in helping youth and families of the New England region by assisting programs that promote cultural diversity, education, family and health. It has taken special interest in many youth programs over the years that encourage education, creativity and development of character.

The Foundation hosts 15 different programs throughout the year, with many different players on the Patriots helping out along the way whenever it is possible for them throughout the course of the season. Some of the main programs that the Foundation offers are; the Blood Drive; Community MVP; Make-A-Wish; Scholarship Programs; Patriot Ladies; Patriots Kids Café; Play 60; and Read Between the Lines. Through these programs they are able to help out every person in the New England region. They help raise awareness of the importance of donating blood; recognize those amongst the community who do their share of giving back; grant wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation to children who are suffering from a life-threatening illness; raise the awareness of being active and staying fit throughout the community; serve those in the region who can’t afford to eat traditional holiday meals during the holiday seasons; offer scholarships to children who excel in school and are looking for a brighter education to better themselves in life; and teach kids the importance of education and being literate with the offensive and defensive linemen paying visits to different schools in the community.

Whether you are a fan of the New England Patriots or not, they are a great team to follow when it comes to what they are doing within the community. They have shown success on the field many times throughout the previous decade; winning three Super Bowls in a four-year span. They continue to show where hard work and determination will get you on the field throughout the season, as well as where a winning attitude can get you all season long. Whether it be game day or not, their fans are always standing behind them so they stand behind  their fans at times when they really need the support and help.

To find out more about the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, visit http://www.patriots.com/community/programs.html

To learn more about the Play 60, visit http://www.nflrush.com/play60

To learn more about Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit http://worldwish.org/?gclid=CN7YnPqYw6oCFSiE5godtCLlIA

Aside from numerous victories and achievements, Jeff Gordon has always been an active member in support of children’s health care, providing opportunity for success for kids who suffer from life-threatening and chronic illnesses. In 1999, the Jeff Gordon Foundation was established in efforts to provide financial grants and opportunity for sick children. Gordon himself has been very involved in his dedication to making a difference for the lives of young children, working close with Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and even providing $1.5 million in efforts to establish the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation Pediatric Cancer Research Laboratory.

His work started very early in his career dating back to 1992 when the son of Gordon’s crew chief’s son was diagnosed with a critical illness. Jeff was then inspired to help children facing similar uphill battles realize and conquer their dreams, making what started out as a small project into a multi-million dollar foundation providing care for thousands of kids.

His never ending work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and his involvement in starting Athletes for Hope with some of sports finest including Mario Lemieux, Alonzo Mourning, Muhammad Ali and many more, only adds to his long resume of charity work and care initiatives. Jeff Gordon also works with legislators on Capitol Hill in a push to ensure the support of the National Bone Marrow and Cord Blood Registries assisting both children and adults in need of a transplant match for their treatment of cancer and other blood related diseases.

To this day the Jeff Gordon Foundation, now know as the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation, has granted more than $11 million for children’s charities and causes. In 2009, he received the Silver Buffalo Award; the highest Boy Scouts of America award for his work as a scout receiver and his generous humanitarian acts.  Remaining highly active within the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation, he is involved with many organization initiatives and makes a number of appearances.

Jeff’s never ending work ethic to help others has made this NASCAR champion into a champion of the people. His success and wit on the speedway is matched everyday by his charisma and love off the race track, a hero and role model for all walks of life.

To learn more about the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation, visit http://www.jeffgordonchildrensfoundation.org/site/c.5oIDJRPyGfISF/b.5968391/k.BE06/Home.htm

Established in 1999, the Jason Kidd Foundation was created to help kids at any age through all aspects of life. Through mentoring, tutoring and technology programs the JKF is dedicated to improving education among youth to give kids the platform and opportunity to fulfill their dreams. The Jason Kidd Foundation works in partnership with Vogel Alcove, KIPP DFW and Northern Lights School, all in efforts to assist kids in any way possible with the goal of receiving the best education possible.

Jason Kidd has been called one of the most community oriented players in the NBA and his infectious desire to better the people around him to do their best doesn’t end at the sidelines. Jason Kidd’s ability to give off the basketball court is endless as he has participated in a variety of many things. He has participated in Read to Achieve; Mavs Reading and learning centers; has raised money for childhood cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and also shows his support for the American Soldiers. He received the 2009-10 NBA Cares Community Assist Award and has been outstanding in his efforts to improve people’s lives not only in Dallas, but also around the world.

Jason Kidd has had a very successful 17-year career; co-winning Rookie of the Year; a 10-time All-Star; 3^rd all time with 107 triple-doubles and 2 Olympic gold medals. After making two straight appearances in the NBA Finals with the New Jersey Nets and losing both times, many speculated that Kidd would never be crowned an NBA champion. However, like the endless children given a chance to dream big, Jason never stopped believing and finally after 17 seasons in the NBA he captured his first Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy with his Dallas Mavericks.

His ability to stay calm in tough times is what helped lead the Mavericks past the all-powerful Miami Heat and solidify his position as a Hall of Famer. It is that same sense of confidence and ability to keep his composure that has allowed him to help so many people and give kids with little hope the chance to dream big and the ability to chase those dreams with success.

To learn more about the Jason Kidd Foundation, visit http://www.jasonkiddfoundation.org/home.html

As one of the biggest names in American football history, Dan Marino has never refrained from using his popularity to the advantage of others. Shortly after their son Michael was diagnosed with autism, the Dan Marino Foundation was established by Dan and his wife Claire in 1992. Focusing on treatment programs, research and services, the Dan Marino Foundation has raised over $22 million towards ‘independence’ in the autism community. For a child with autism, the transition from childhood into adulthood can be very difficult and hard on their family; making it a goal for the Dan Marino Foundation to assist families through this period of time.

In 1998, the Dan Marino Center opened its doors along side the Miami Children’s Hospital. The center worked alongside the hospital specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of children at risk for developmental and psychological problems. The Center provides not only autistic children but children with any kind of neurodevelopment disease, the chance to participate in daytime activities and interaction with other children. In 2005, his work was recognized and acknowledged by the NBA’s Miami Heat. Marino was presented with a Heat jersey with his number 13 on the back, as well as a large donation to the Dan Marino Foundation.

During his 17-year career in a Dolphins uniform he was one of the most prolific quarterbacks the NFL had ever seen. His creativity with the ball gave his teams of the late 80’s and early 90’s chances to win which solidified his status as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. Marino took a negative aspect of life that had affected his son and family and turned it into an opportunity to learn and teach. He is truly an icon on the field and a hero to the families and children that have been affected in a positive way through his foundation and medical center. Sure his numbers on the field are impressive, but check out his numbers off the field.

To learn more about the Dan Marino Foundation, visit http://www.danmarinofoundation.org/