Stephen Ross And Dolphins Players Unite For Social Justice Programs
MIAMI(CBSMiami) - Miami Dolphins' team owner Stephen Ross and Dolphins players have announced the creation of a yearly fund to advocate for social justice programs.
They will also highlight various groups and organizations in the community during upcoming Dolphins home games. The team will put the spotlight on a number of upstanding organizations, as detailed by their official press release:
Social Justice Grant Program
The Miami Dolphins will identify and earmark funds for a grant program to impact organizations in need that are involved in community engagement, education or justice reform.
Project Change Scholarship
The Miami Dolphins will Identify deserving high school students and provide them with funds over a four-year period. The goal is to target students to change their lives, so they can make a change in their community. Criteria includes participation in programs that positively impact community engagement, education or justice reform along with an essay on how they want to positively impact the community.
Police Athletic League of North Miami
Players and law enforcement discussed collaborating on joint programs during a ride along event and community policing on Tuesday, Oct. 10 with the North Miami Police Department and Broward Sherriff's Office. As a result of these productive conversations, the team will sponsor The Police Athletic League of North Miami's (PAL of North Miami) whose mission is to cultivate partnership between parents, schools and the community.
5000 Role Models and Miami Dolphins Police and Youth Conference
The Miami Dolphins will partner with the 5000 Role Models Excellence Project to host a conference at Hard Rock Stadium designed to promote positive interaction between youth and law enforcement.
RISE Leadership Programs
The RISE Leadership Program is designed to empower sports administrators, coaches and athletes to be leaders in discussing and addressing matters of racism, prejudice, diversity and inclusivity within their teams, schools and communities. During the 10-week program, high school participants learn about the history of race and sports, the power of sports to drive change and how they can become leaders in improving race relations. The Dolphins will sponsor programs at Booker T. Washington, Cooper City and Hollywood Hills.
CommUNITY Tailgate
Miami Dolphins players will continue to host community leaders, youth, coaches and law enforcement to participate in special tailgates prior to each home game with the goal of continuing dialogue between community members and fostering relationships. The CommUNITY Tailgate initiative stems from a solution-oriented town hall hosted in fall 2016 by the Dolphins and RISE during which players and local leaders discussed actionable steps that could be taken to address issues of racial inequality and unite the community. This marks the second season of the tailgates at Dolphins home games.
Unity Day
During the Dolphins and RISE player funded tailgate vs. the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 31, the team will host a town hall meeting featuring community leaders, law enforcement and educators with a shared goal of improving race relations and bringing people together under the unifying values of sports.
