WASHINGTON, D.C. – Arik Armstead has been named the Week 5 NFLPA Community MVP following a weekend of charitable giving to schools and students across Sacramento and the Bay Area, culminating with a $100,000 donation.
“I want to thank the NFLPA for selecting me as the winner for Week 5,” Armstead said. “Being named NFLPA Community MVP is a humbling honor and a testament to the impact we can make when we come together to help others off the field.”
The nine-year veteran kicked off his three days of philanthropy on September 30, when he donated books to the Sacramento Literacy Foundation’s Literacy Festival. Through his foundation, the Armstead Academic Project (AAP), the San Francisco 49ers defender also distributed 34 bikes to the raffle winners of those who attended his Stay Hungry summer camp that focused on football, college and wellness.
The next day, Armstead announced during the 49ers game that he will be donating $50,000 each to Teach For America California Capital Valley and Square Root Academy for Project Halo. These organizations work to advance education equity in his hometown of Sacramento and the Bay Area, with the funds specifically being used to help youth meet literacy standards and learn about AI technology.
The final stop on his string of events took place on October 3 at two schools in East Palo Alto, California. Armstead spent his day off reading books to the fourth-grade students of Castano Elementary School as well as the sixth and seventh graders at Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School. While he was there, the defensive lineman shared the importance of life goals and taking the steps to achieve them. Kids shared that they would work toward having a positive attitude, handling stress and learning from past mistakes.
“My motivation behind my charitable work is to use my platform to make a positive difference dedicated to ensuring that every student, no matter their socioeconomic status, has direct access to the resources they need to thrive to unlock their potential and achieve their goals,” Armstead said.
Much of Armstead’s charitable work is rooted in education, building off AAP’s mission to ensure that public school students have access to a quality education. His foundation’s efforts also earned him NFLPA Community MVP honors in 2020 and 2021.
Over the years, Armstead’s non-profit has hosted more than 800 kids during his Storytimes with Arik, invited more than 150 middle schoolers to receive STEM programming and connected with more than 1,400 kids through career and college tours, which helped build their social network and taught them about the importance of education.
Armstead has also poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into his community to help more than 80,000 black students across California receive supplementary education funding to support their academic advancement. Wellness is also at the core of his mission, as he’s hosted multiple mental and physical health events for more than 1,300 students and teachers.
In honor of Armstead being named this week’s Community MVP, the NFLPA is making a $10,000 contribution to his foundation or charity of choice. In turn, Armstead will take part in a virtual or in-person visit to a school or children’s hospital. Along with the other 2023-24 Community MVPs, he will also become eligible for this year’s Alan Page Community Award, which is the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player.
Now in its 10th season, the Community MVP campaign is part of the NFLPA’s continued efforts to support the year-round, civic outreach and engagement of its player members. Please visit the NFLPA Community MVP website to learn more about the program.
2023-24 NFLPA Community MVP winners:
Week 1: Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
Week 2: Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Week 3: Justin Hardee, New York Jets
Week 4. Frank Ragnow, Detroit Lions
Week 5: Arik Armstead, San Francisco 49ers
###
About the NFL Players Association:
The National Football League Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players’ interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protected—including ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL. The current CBA will govern the sport through the 2030 NFL season. Learn more at www.nflpa.com.
Credit:Source link
