New York City schools chancellor Joel I. Klein, the New York Jets, and the New York Mercantile Exchange Foundation (NYMEX) announced today that they have teamed up again to support the Department of Education's C.H.A.M.P.S. Middle School Flag Football League.
For the second year in a row, the Jets and NYMEX Foundation together have donated $50,000 to C.H.A.M.P.S., a middle school program that offers traditional and non-traditional sports and fitness activities to students before and after school hours. Jets players Shaun Ellis, Mike DeVito and CJ Mosley presented a check for $50,000 to fitness and health education director Lori Rose Benson at JHS 78 in Brooklyn and played flag football with students at the school.
The Jets will donate an additional $50,000 to the Public School Athletic League's Heads Up! initiative. The donation will offset the costs of reconditioning football helmets for the city's high school football teams — helping to ensure the safety of more than 4,000 New York City student athletes. This is the fourth year that the Jets have supported the initiative.
"I want to thank the Jets for their continued support of our efforts to provide middle school students with a wide range of fitness opportunities," said Klein. "The C.H.A.M.P.S. program extends the school day to support middle school students, complementing our efforts to raise academic achievement and help students develop fitness habits that can last for a lifetime. The importance of both traditional and non-traditional activities is something these professional athletes understand and model for our children."
"The Jets believe that New York City's children should be afforded the same opportunity as students across the country to participate in football programs at both the middle and high school levels," said Woody Johnson, New York Jets chairman and chief executive officer. "We are proud to demonstrate this commitment by expanding our partnership with the DOE through the Jets C.H.A.M.P.S. Middle School Flag Football League and to continue to support the refurbishment of helmets for high school players through our Heads Up! program. I want to thank our partner, the NYMEX Foundation, for their support as well."
"The NYMEX Foundation is pleased to partner with the New York Jets again this year to foster future 'C.H.A.M.P.S.' in New York City public schools," said NYMEX Foundation president Madeline Boyd.
"It is an honor to be here today to present this grant to the Middle School Flag Football League," said Ellis. "The Heads Up! reconditioning helmets program and supporting the flag football league help make New York City football programs and athletes better."
Through the Department of Education's C.H.A.M.P.S. Middle School Sport and Fitness League, students are empowered to become Cooperative, Healthy, Active, Motivated, Positive Students — for life. Regardless of athletic ability, student participants in C.H.A.M.P.S. have opportunities to engage in a wide variety of physical activities before or after school, including traditional and non-traditional sports, along with fitness activities that can be maintained long after their school days are over.
The C.H.A.M.P.S. Middle School Flag Football League provides more than 75 middle schools with before- and after-school opportunities for their students to learn football skills and techniques from qualified coaches. Each participant will receive a uniform T-shirt provided by the Jets and the NYMEX Foundation.
