First Recipient of Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award
ATLANTA, GA, March 2 — After a season of superior performance on the football field, the Philadelphia Eagles today were honored for their impressive work off the field. In a ceremony at the national Sports Philanthropy Conference in Atlanta, Eagles Youth Partnership, the Eagles charitable foundation, became the first recipient of the Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award.
The Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award is given by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Sports Philanthropy Project to a sports team or athlete foundation whose work is devoted to improving the lives of others, especially the most vulnerable. The Eagles were honored for their Eagles Eye Mobile Program, a project that provides free vision exams and prescription glasses for thousands of underserved children in Philadelphia.
“Sports teams and athletes are uniquely positioned to bring together much needed resources, community partners and public awareness to help solve our society’s most pressing problems,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D. president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “The Eagles Eye Mobile Program is a shining example of how one team has used its standing in the community to improve the health of young people in need.”
The Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award embodies the values of its namesake. Steve Patterson was a well known center on three national championship basketball teams at UCLA. He later played in the NBA and coached at Arizona State University. Following his athletic career, Steve began Patterson Sports Ventures, linking players, teams and sports foundations with important social causes. Tragically, Steve Patterson was diagnosed with cancer in June of 2004 and passed away a month later at the age of 56. For more information on the Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award, visit www.stevepattersonaward.com.
“On behalf of Eagles Youth Partnership, the Eagles and all of our partners, we are honored to receive the inaugural Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award. This award will help us to extend the Eagles Eye Mobile program to even more children, providing them each with the gift of sight,” said Sarah Martinez-Helfman, Eagles Youth Partnership’s executive director. “Steve touched so many lives; what a fitting tribute to him and the vision of leadership he modeled in improving the lives of others.”
Eagles Youth Partnership was established in 1995 to improve the quality of life for children and youth in the Greater Philadelphia region through health and education partnerships. Eagles Youth Partnership strategically teams the power of the Philadelphia Eagles Football Club, including the resources of its corporate and nonprofit partners, with the celebrity appeal of its players to deliver critical services to vulnerable children living in poverty. Eagles Youth Partnership reaches 50,000 kids each year. For more information about Eagles Youth Partnership and Eagles Eye Mobile, go to www.philadelphiaeagles.com/partnership2.html.
The Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award was given to Eagles Youth Partnership at a ceremony held at The Arthur M. Blank Family Office, home of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation promotes positive change in people’s lives and builds and enhances the communities in which they live. The Foundation has an especially strong interest in supporting innovative endeavors leading to better circumstances for low-income youth and their families. More information about The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation can be found at www.blankfoundation.org.
The Sports Philanthropy Project works to maximize the potential of sports foundations to have a significant impact on the health, social development and well-being of their communities. The Sports Philanthropy Project enhances that impact by helping foundations build comprehensive community programs and by facilitating ongoing forums which advance best practices in sports philanthropy. Visit the Sports Philanthropy Project at www.sportsphilanthropy.com.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton, NJ, is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care. It concentrates its grantmaking in four goal areas: to assure that all Americans have access to quality health care at reasonable cost; to improve the quality of care and support for people with chronic health conditions; to promote healthy communities and lifestyles; and to reduce the personal, social and economic harm caused by substance abuse – tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs. More information on The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation can be found at www.rwjf.org.
STEVE PATTERSON SPORTS PHILANTHROPY AWARD
We would like to thank everyone who has been so gracious in honoring Steve. The incredible awards that you have created in Steve's name have brought great honor to him and our family. We feel so blessed that you deem Steve's work and the values that he lived his life by, worthy of your recognition. Thank you for keeping Steve's passion for faith, sports and philanthropy alive!
Thank You!!
Thank you so much to the ASU Men's Basketball team for playing their season with SP on their uniforms. What an honor, thank you.
Carlette, holding the Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award, with Joe Marx, Senior Communications Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Jennifer Stredler, Program Director and Sarah Martinez-Helfman, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Eagles Youth Partnership accepting the first
Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award
Carlette with Sarah Martinez-Helfman
Greg Johnson, Executive Director of the Sports Philanthropy Project, Carlette and Joe Marx
THANK YOU,
ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION
AND
SPORTS PHILANTHROPY PROJECT
For the Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award
Steve was a visionary. He had big dreams and huge plans to change the world. He spent his life playing small roles in big missions.
As athletes, we like to go out on top. Sports Philanthropy Project was the last team that Steve played for. Thank you, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Sports Philanthropy Project for your vision, for your work. It is because of you, that Steve was able to do his life work! I thank you for allowing Steve to be a part of your team.
The Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award captures what Steve lived for. You have created something that reminds us of his passion to serve. And best of all to encourage, assist and honor the people that are truly making a difference every day!
It was such a gift to be a part of this award. Thank you for allowing me to review the applications, to give input to the award and to play a small role in this wonderful vision.
After the process of selecting the first recipient of Steve’s award, I went back through Steve’s files and found his notebook from the 2003 Sports Philanthropy Conference. I wanted to connect with him. I wanted to go back in time to when he was at the conference. I wanted a glimpse of what he was thinking about and what made an impact on his life at that time. I thought maybe I would find something that would be his message that I could deliver when we awarded the first recipient of the Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award. I opened his notebook and in the front flap, I found a notepad filled with handwritten notes.
His notes read:
Philadelphia Eagles Youth Partnership
Eagles- Eye Mobile, Bookmobile, Playground Build
“Youth Partnership” (name says it all) “Special Teams”
and it went on for pages.
It is so amazing how our lives are connected! I knew at that moment that Steve and I had connected. I knew at that time just what Steve would want me to say as I presented the award to the winner.
It is with great honor that I welcome the Philadelphia Eagles Youth Partnership to our family, a family dedicated to changing the world, one person at a time.
Carlette
"The Eagles are showcasing the Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award in a trophy case in the reception area of our training and office facility. The only other award in the case is our Eagles NFC Championship trophy. All others are in a separate case on the second floor. This is just to say that the team, along with Eagles Youth Partnership, is incredibly grateful and proud of this recognition, and all of us are determined to reach even higher."
