HOUSTON, Feb. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The NFL, Houston
Texans, United Way of Greater
Houston, United Way Worldwide and Verizon have announced the
Houston launch of Character
Playbook™, a new education initiative focused on
youth character development and building healthy relationships. The
interactive digital program will be implemented directly in schools
throughout Houston.
Character Playbook is the latest innovation in the more than
40-year partnership between the NFL and United Way. Character
Playbook modules are designed to help students develop healthy
relationships and social norms. The program will be evaluated by
measuring student knowledge gains as well as attitude and
behavioral change.
"We are pleased to use Super Bowl week as a platform to launch
Character Playbook and provide valuable resources to classrooms and
students in Houston," said NFL
Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility ANNA ISAACSON. "The program encourages
youngsters to develop healthy relationships and stand up for others
and as the leaders of tomorrow, young people benefit from being
educated on these important attributes."
The launch event at Pilgrim Academy today took students through
the Character Playbook modules. Houston Texans players
JEFF ALLEN (G) and
KURTIS DRUMMOND (FS), and NFL
Legend and Super Bowl champion DONALD
DRIVER led a panel in front of more than 300 students to
discuss character development and decision-making. Character
Playbook will be implemented in all 32 NFL markets, courtesy of the
United Way Worldwide and the NFL Foundation.
"Every day we strive to be champions for youth at the Houston
Texans and we believe the Character Playbook program will educate
students around Houston to better
prepare them for the road ahead," said JENNIFER DAVENPORT, vice president of
marketing and community development at the Houston Texans. "We are
proud to partner with the United Way and Verizon on such an
important initiative."
"Helping young people build confidence, character, communication
skills, and healthy relationships are so important to students'
success both in and out of the classroom," said ANNA M. BABIN, president and CEO of United
Way of Greater Houston. "United
Way of Greater Houston works to
help young people build a foundation for success, and we are
excited to partner with the Houston Texans and Verizon to further
that work through Character Playbook."
Character Playbook uses evidence-based strategies to
educate students on how to cultivate and maintain healthy
relationships during their critical middle school years. The course
is comprised of six interactive, digital modules that cover key
concepts around positive character development, social-emotional
learning, and building healthy relationships. Designed for
7th – 9th graders, the digital learning
experience enables students to engage with true-to-life scenarios
that include bystander intervention strategies and positive
relationship examples.
"Bullying, cyberbullying and teen dating violence continue to be
pervasive issues that put immense pressure on communities across
the United States," said United
Way Worldwide president and CEO, BRIAN
GALLAGHER. "Couple that with escalating violence, strife
and lack of trust and opportunities in communities and it
underscores the real need for programs that help kids understand
how best to manage emotions, resolve conflicts and communicate
effectively."
"At Verizon, we believe it is important to use our resources and
expertise to create innovative solutions that help the underserved
in our community," said KRISTA
BOURNE, Verizon Market President-South Central. "Through
the Verizon Innovative Learning program, we have focused our
resources on education and character development programs. By
supporting Character Playbook in Houston, we can make an impact and address
topics that are critical to the success of middle school students
in greater Houston."
The Character Playbook initiative was launched nationally during
the 2016 NFL Draft and is powered by education technology leader
EverFi, which works with more than 20,000 K-12 schools.
About The NFL Foundation
The National Football League
Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the
lives of those touched by the game of football – from players at
all levels to communities across the country. The NFL
Foundation represents the 32 NFL clubs and supports the health,
safety and wellness of athletes, youth football and the communities
that support our game. For more information on the NFL
Foundation, visit: www.NFLFoundation.org.
About The Houston Texans
The Houston Texans
were inducted the NFL's 32nd franchise on Oct. 6, 1999 thanks to a city-wide effort
spearheaded by local businessman and franchise founder and owner
Robert C. McNair. The Texans have
since evolved into Forbes Magazine's 14th-most valuable
professional sports franchise in the world with an estimated value
of $2.5 billion and are annually
among the Houston Chronicle's Top 100 places to work in the city.
The Houston Texans are the only expansion team to have won its
first game, defeating Dallas 19-10
on Sept. 8, 2002 and have sold out
every preseason, regular season and postseason game in franchise
history, donated more than $26.5
million back to the community through the Houston Texans
Foundation and won AFC South division titles in 2011, 2012, 2015
and 2016. NRG Stadium, the NFL's first retractable-roof stadium, is
the home of the Texans.
About The United Way of Greater Houston
For more than 90 years,
United Way of Greater Houston has
been a leader and trusted partner in improving lives, tackling key
community social issues and making a lasting difference. Last year,
United Way of Greater Houston
touched the lives of more than 2 million of our neighbors in the
Bay Area and in Fort Bend,
Harris, Montgomery and Waller counties. United Way focuses on
strengthening our community by developing children and youth to
their full potential, creating strong families and safe
neighborhoods, sustaining senior independence and rebuilding
people's lives in times of crisis. United Way of Greater Houston is the best way to make the
biggest difference in our community, changing Houston for good. For more information, please
visit, www.unitedwayhouston.org.
About United Way Worldwide
United Way fights for the
health, education and financial stability of every person in every
community. Supported by 2.8 million volunteers, 9.8 million donors
worldwide, and more than $4.7 billion
raised every year, United Way is the world's largest
privately-funded nonprofit. We're engaged in nearly 1,800
communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide
to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our
communities. United Way partners include global, national and
local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based
organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health
providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information
about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org. Follow us on
Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited.
About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE,
Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York
City, has a diverse workforce of 160,900 and generated
nearly $126 billion in 2016 revenues.
Verizon operates America's most reliable wireless network, with
114.2 million retail connections nationwide. The company also
provides communications and entertainment services over mobile
broadband and the nation's premier all-fiber network, and delivers
integrated business solutions to customers worldwide.
About EverFi, Inc.
EverFi, Inc. is the education
technology innovator that empowers K-12, higher education, and
adult learners with the skills needed to be successful in life. Its
comprehensive critical skills platform is focused on Financial
Education, Digital Citizenship, STEM Career Readiness, Diversity
and Inclusion, Entrepreneurship, Character Education, and Health
and Wellness. The EverFi Education Network is powered by more than
3,300 partner organizations across all 50 states and Canada and annually reaches 6 million
learners. Learn more at everfi.com
Media
Contact:
Monique Waters
EverFi Senior Director of Corporate Communications
mwaters@everfi.com
301-233-4241
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