Super Bowl Weekend Gives Back in a Big Way, BCG Style!

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So first off big congrats to the New York Giants on their amazing win against the New England Patriots in  Super Bowl XLVI ! BCG had the pleasure of attending over ten charity events during the Super Bowl festivities and we are pleased to report back to you on all the giving that took place during the weekend; let me be the first to say that the Giving was very Good during Super Bowl weekend in Indianapolis, IN.

BCG kicked off our week of giving with the Super Bowl Sanctioned Sports Career Expo, more than 1400 youth attended this event and we met some wonderful students heading to college this fall. The event featured several workshops, panels, a college fair and for many the highlight was the players panel. The panel was perhaps one of the most enlightening sessions BCG took place in during our 4 day visit to Indy. Education was the key theme as all of the current and former players including: Aeneas Williams, retired Hall of Fame finalist, Terry “Tank” Johnson and Eddie Mason both retired and Jason McCourty of the Tennessee Titans. One of the most inspiring message from the panel came from Mr. Aeneas Williams; he asked us all could we tell him, “how many seeds were in a watermelon?” The answer well yes, if we counted every seed, that is possible. The turning moment in his message was when he asked the audience, could we tell him how many watermelons were in each seed, telling us that only God knows what lies within each of and it’s our job to grow the seeds God has planned in us. The audience of all high school students went wild. Faith was key player throughout the panel as many of the players said that faith, belief in one’s self and perseverance is what got them to where they are today. Be sure to visit whynotspots.org to learn more about their unique programming. Their mission is to Educate student athletes on the academic requirements needed to successfully transition from high school to college; and to explore a myriad of career opportunities within the professional sports industry…Off the Field and Off the Court!

The ribbon cutting for the opening of the cities Youth Education Town (YET) took place Thursday, February 2nd on the campus of Arsenal Technical High School. The ceremony was led by Chairman Mark Miles and President of the John H. Boner Community Center James Taylor, who were joined by Representative Andre Carson, Superintendent of IPS Dr. Eugene White and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. It is the first YET Center to open before the Super Bowl, a great accomplishment for the city’s Near Eastside, one of Indianapolis’ most impoverished neighborhoods. The Near Eastside revitalization project was a key factor in the city’s successful bid to host the 2012 Super Bowl. BCG had the opportunity to tour the new center which will be a hub for youth to spend time building life skills and staying out of trouble. Before the opening of the YET center, youth participated in NFL PLAY 60 clinics with current and former NFL players.

I learned that sadly that in Indianapolis more than 20% of the cities residents have an income below the poverty level and the city ranks in the top 5 of all cities with abandoned real estate.  The super bowl served as a rescue and was there to help build, rebuild and give back with organizations Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together, both hosting projects in the Near Eastside area. The city since winning the bid for the super bowl was very strategic in planning the revitalization of the city in some of the areas that needed it most. Using the $1 million of seed funding from the NFL to help boost more than $150 million in redevelopment is astounding. On Friday morning in the gym of Arsenal Technical High School, volunteers including BCG were on hand to help build two houses; 3 bedroom houses for residents which will be completed this summer.

Rebuilding Together Indianapolis is a nonprofit dedicated to safe and healthy housing, has also dedicated much effort and time in the Near Eastside. “I have oversaw the build-out of over 1500 homes in my 13 years of service,” said Acey Byrd, Operations Director for Rebuilding Together Indianapolis. Since the announcement of Indianapolis’ winning bid to host the Super Bowl, our Indianapolis affiliate has rehabilitated more than 70 homes within this community. Rebuilding Together’s 17th annual Kickoff to Rebuild, an NFL-sanctioned charity event, completed an additional 10 homes and built a playground along the North State Street Block, adding additional impact to the Legacy Project.

HGTV’s Carter Oosterhouse, host of Carter Can, in association with his foundation, Carter’s Kids,  Lowe’s Heroes employees, NFL players and  volunteers,  helped build a playground for the children of Near Eastside neighborhood. BCG learned that Lowe’s and Carter’s Kids’ Foundation have built six new playgrounds over the past year for communities and schools in-need. These playgrounds promote healthy activity, self-esteem and fitness for the nation’s youth. Kudos to Lowes for Giving Back! The playground took only six hours to build and cost $80,000.

We spent our afternoon at the NFL Experience and witnessed the NFL’s Play 60 youth camps and had the opportunity to chat with Plaxico Burress and Beanie Wells about their giving! We also witnessed Rookie of the Year Cam Newton make a wish come true for a young man named Eric, part of the Make a Wish Foundation! The NFL Play 60 campaign is an initiative of the NFL to get youth active for at least 60 minutes everyday; the NFL’s way of combating childhood obesity.

After our the NFL Experience , BCG headed to the Super Bowl Gospel event, in it’s 13th year, the sold out event brings together each year faith and football and what a wonderful event it was. Over $400,000 and 5,000 tickets have been donated to charity through the years so it was only natural that BCG supported an event that truly gives back. The event benefited Gary Brackett’s IMPACT Foundation which creates unique experiences and educational enrichment opportunities for undeserved, special needs and seriously ill children. In 2009, Brackett was the 11th annual recipient of the Arthur S. Arkush Humanitarian Award, presented to an NFL player “whose contributions to the community and charitable organizations are especially outstanding.”

Brackett won the award for his work with the IMPACT Foundation. The evening was hosted by Run DMC’s and reality star Rev Run and the beautiful Cece Winans and featured American Idol winner Fantasia who kicked off her shoes and brought the house down while headlining the show, which included a duo with her mother Diane Barrino. Other performances by top gospel and contemporary Christian artists Natalie Grant, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker and “Players Choice” Wess Morgan, and Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound 2011 Overall Winning Choir, Salvation and Deliverance Church Choir and of course the NFL choir were all part of the wonderful evening. A highlight for me was hearing testimony from current and former NFL players on the impact that God and their faith had on their life; we even heard from the Super Bowl champion NY Giants general manager, Jerry Reese, who is one of three black GM’s in the league and the only one to ever win a Super Bowl. We left in high spirits, our souls were fed and we knew that the Giving was Good!

Perhaps our busiest day was Saturday as we kicked off our morning with the Indianapolis chapter of the Urban League at their SuperJazz brunch, benefiting their educational, job and health initiatives. We networked with some of the cities most prominent community leaders as well as some former NFL players and feasted on the cities famous soul food eatery, Kountry Kitchen. The afternoon was spent with hip hop star Nelly and NFL star Devin Hester and NFL Alum Doug Fluti as Nelly hosted a charity flag football game which benefited the Payton Manning Children’s Hospital. SportsZone Indy played host to the sold out event and the winner in case you’re wondering, was Team Nelly who played quarter back for the event.

BCG had the opportunity to be a special guest at the NFL Alumni’s annual networking event held at the Hyatt hotel. We mixed and mingled with current and former NFL players and learned not only of their business endeavors but also their giving. Having the chance to chat with Vernon Davis and learning that he runs a grant funding foundation, supporting the Arts, as he is the owner of an Interior Design firm. The Vernon Davis foundation also supports  youth and childhood obesity, we spoke with the foundation director of one of the foundation’s Davis supports Lifting as we Climb and learned of their initiatives with black males ages 13-18 in the Washington, DC and Detroit areas. BCG also had the chance to catch up with George Foster and learn more about the Beyond the Game Foundation which he runs with his wife, Chanita Foster.

We ended our charity Saturday at Butler University as we joined Football Hoop entering its 14th year, Gridiron Celebrity Hoops XIV (Gridiron XIV) is the first and only celebrity basketball game to have ever become officially sanctioned by the National Football League and endorsed by the United States President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. The event serves as a campaign to raise awareness and share information on how we can protect and support the most delicate and vulnerable among us – our children, our future. We heard from the events founder Juli Jordon who told us as a child of adoption, she has been doing this event for 14 years to Give Back to kids in the foster care system! The event benefited the Indiana Department of Child Services and the foster care system. Notable attendees included: the legend Stevie Wonder, J.Cole, Dez Bryant, Hank Basset Jr., Terrell Owens and Tank who all played in the game. Homage was paid to the home-state icon Micheal Jackson through several dance and singer performances and the white team lead by Dez Bryant, Terrell Owens and Tank were the winners by 20 points. We had the opportunity to chat with Dez Bryan, Tank  and Terrell Owens about their giving and learned exclusively from J.Cole’s management team that the Grammy nominated star is planning to build a youth center in his hometown of Fayetteville, NC.

While we couldn’t be everywhere, charity events including the Taste of the NFL, the Playboy Party, Darryl DMC -House Restoration of Africa concert and more brought in tons of money for countless charities across the nation and in the city of Indy! We can’t wait to bring you our coverage next year as we head to NOLA for Super Bowl and we thank everyone who opened up their doors to BCG allowing us to highlight the good!