As part of "10 Days of Giving," the Cleveland Browns announced the recipients of the second annual First and Ten Grants program, presented by Medliminal. The initiative, launched at the start of the season, will contribute a total of $20,000 to 10 well-deserved organizations that endeavor to make a difference in Northeast Ohio.
Winner ($5,000 grant): Youth Challenge
Second selection ($3,000 grant): Fostering Hope
Finalists ($1,500 grant): May Dugan Center, Village Project, Project Hope of Cleveland, Colors+, Collaborative to End Human Trafficking, Take Ch9rge, Community Cup Classic Foundation, Neighborhood Alliance
Following a nomination process and evaluation by panel members, the non-profit organizations were selected based on their focus on education, youth football, social equality and volunteerism. Fans had the opportunity to nominate their desired local non-profit organizations to be considered for the grants.
"Medliminal is proud to partner with the Cleveland Browns for the second year of First and Ten Grants," said Medliminal CEO Jim Napoli. "We appreciate everyone who nominated their cause and congratulate our finalists! We look forward to continuing to give back to the community and to help drive positive change!"
"This very kind recognition of Youth Challenge as this year's Medliminal First and Ten grant recipient will provide much needed support for our adaptive athletic programs," said Youth Challenge CEO Chris Garr. "At Youth Challenge we take pride in the creative ways that we overcome barriers and meet challenges so that all kids can participate on a team, be supported as winners, and work together to create a positive impact on our community!"
The Browns and Medliminal partnered to create the grants to further their mission of supporting non-profit organizations, people and projects that improve Ohio neighborhoods by providing them with opportunities to advance and extend the meaningful work that they do throughout the year.
"I'm proud to be involved with Medliminal, especially with their commitment to giving back to the community. First and Ten Grants has now given $40,000 to deserving Northeast Ohio organizations, and Medliminal's social consciousness is a big part of why I am working with them," said Browns alum and Medliminal brand ambassador, Josh Cribbs.
Launched in June 2014, the Cleveland Browns First and Ten campaign is the team's community program, established to inspire fans to #give10 and help their communities by volunteering for 10 hours each year. Through First and Ten, the Browns are the only NFL club to promote a long-term volunteering program that unifies the team and its entire fan base, with the goal of impacting every individual's city across the globe, as well as the franchise's local community. To date, more than 2.75 million hours of volunteering have been pledged through First and Ten. All Browns fans are encouraged to join the volunteering effort by signing the First and Ten pledge on the team's website and by sharing their stories with #give10.
Throughout "10 Days of Giving," Browns players, coaches and staff members have shared unique stories about community initiatives and contributions as part of the team's yearlong commitment to education, youth football, social justice and inspiring others to support their communities through the First and Ten volunteer movement.
In addition to the team's First and Ten volunteering efforts, "10 Days of Giving" encompasses the Cleveland Browns Foundation's "Stay in the Game! Keep Learning, Every Day" Network and Browns Youth Football. The "Stay in the Game!" Network is focused on promoting equal educational opportunities for all students and school districts in Ohio, as well as combatting chronic absenteeism, while Browns Youth Football remains devoted to assisting the development, safety and growth of youth and high school football throughout the state by helping inspire a love of the game.
About the recipients of the First and Ten grants program, presented by Medliminal:
Youth Challenge:
Youth Challenge brings together young people with physical disabilities and teen volunteers who inspire each other through adapted sports, recreation and social growth activities. Youth Challenge is the recognized leader in Northeast Ohio for enriching the lives of young people of all abilities, and supporting their growth and well-being.
Fostering Hope:
Fostering Hope was established in 2013 to raise awareness of the challenges faced by children within the foster care system and provide opportunities to them while engaging the community in which they reside. Its mission is to connect and enrich youth who live in residential treatment and foster care with unique experiences of hope and healing.
May Dugan Center:
The mission of the May Dugan Center is to help people enrich and advance their lives and communities. The facility was named the May Dugan Multi Service Center to honor the late May Dugan, a long-time resident of the neighborhood who had been a one-person advocate and counselor for her neighbors in need. Today, the Center continues the tradition of its namesake by providing basic and enhanced programming to people that improve their quality of life and, in doing so, strengthen their community.
Village Project:
Village Project comes together as a community of all ages to provide nourishing meals and extended care and service to neighbors who are experiencing cancer. They provide a vehicle to approach the devastating disease of cancer in a positive, hopeful manner by utilizing individual gifts and talents of volunteers, giving all the opportunity to experience the joy of serving.
Project Hope CLE:
The mission of Project Hope Cleveland, a 501(c)(3) organization, is to coordinate efforts, in collaboration with the Greater Cleveland Community to secure financial and physical resources that will assist families and/or individuals facing hardships in meeting their basic human needs.
Colors+:
Colors+ mission is to strengthen LGBTQ+ youth and allies by promoting individual and community wellness. They use a holistic mind and body approach and have a safe space to empower LGBTQ+ youth and allies to grow as individuals and within their community. Their intention is to strengthen the LGBTQ+ youth community and allies through advocacy, support, education, and celebration.
Collaborative to End Human Trafficking
The Collaborative to End Human Trafficking aims to lead, empower, and connect the community to eradicate human trafficking. They envision a world without human trafficking, one community at a time. To do so, the Collaborative provides leadership and expertise to empower a systemic, community-wide response to human trafficking. They equip organizations and individuals with the knowledge, tools, and resources to address human trafficking by increasing public awareness, delivering tailored trainings, and facilitating multi-disciplinary collaboration.
Take Ch9rge
Take Ch9rge aims to empower young men and women to "Take Charge" of their lives, through the development of healthy habits (Physically, Mentally, & Socially) that will last a lifetime. Teamwork, cooperation, sportsmanship and discipline are key ingredients, and they use sports as the draw. In the end, they want to create great students, athletes and community leaders.
Community Cup Classic Foundation
The Community Cup Classic Foundation was created to improve adult engagement in all facets of a young person's development. Their work creates avenues where youth are shown appreciation by those within their community, their social groups and most importantly by those that reside in their homes. Their vehicle to accomplish this mission is the Community Cup Classic™, an annual county wide family fitness and youth engagement competition that culminates in a one-week summer celebration.
Neighborhood Alliance
Neighborhood Alliance has been compassionately caring for the community since 1927. They are helping their community grow stronger by caring for their clients' most basic needs. They provide emergency shelter, homeless outreach, daily meal delivery, nutrition services including an emergency food pantry and socialization activities for seniors, childcare and child enrichment programs, and access to family support programs such as Help Me Grow for those in need.
About the Cleveland Browns and Browns Give Back:
The Browns Give Back to Northeast Ohio with a commitment to education and youth football while engaging the community through the team's signature First and Ten volunteer movement. For more information, visit www.clevelandbrowns.com/brownsgiveback.
Education – The Cleveland Browns are dedicated to improving the quality of education for students in Ohio by making investments that keep kids in school every day so they can succeed, highlighted by the "Stay in the Game! Keep Learning, Every Day" Network. The "Stay in the Game!" Network is a statewide initiative designed to promote the importance of school attendance and put an end to chronic absenteeism. The team engages local school districts and promotes quality education by using attendance data and feedback from families to build a school-going culture, uncover and reduce common barriers to attendance and support engagement opportunities for students to thrive. In the 2020-21 school year, the "Stay in the Game!" Network will partner with 14 school districts, benefitting nearly 90,000 students in Ohio. An adaptation of the "Get 2 School, Stay In The Game!" Network, the name change reflects the current environment where schools may not necessarily be able to host in-school learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No matter the circumstances, the "Stay in the Game!" Network will continue to encourage and support students to maintain a strong educational-going mindset to keep learning, every day, aligned with its overall goal to help end chronic absenteeism and provide all students equal opportunities to be successful. To learn more visit, visit Get2School.org.
Youth Football – The Cleveland Browns are committed to assisting the development, safety and growth of youth and high school football throughout Northeast Ohio with year-round programming for players, coaches, officials and parents. Through camps, clinics and other initiatives, the Browns' goal is to promote healthy, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of youth by enhancing opportunities for youth football participation and education.
First and Ten – Launched in June 2014, the Cleveland Browns First and Ten campaign is the team's community program, established to inspire fans to #give10 and help their communities by volunteering for 10 hours each year. Through First and Ten, the Browns are the only NFL club to promote a long-term volunteering program that unifies the team and its entire fan base, with the goal of impacting every individual's city across the globe, as well as the franchise's local community. To date, more than 2.75 million hours of volunteering have been pledged through First and Ten. All Browns fans are encouraged to join the volunteering effort by signing the First and Ten pledge on the team's website and by sharing their stories with #give10.
