GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - Thanks to members of the Green and Gold, five Wisconsin organizations will be able to continue their efforts in fighting social injustice.
On Tuesday, Packers players presented five $50,000 checks to the groups, including two from Northeast Wisconsin, as part of the NFL-wide Social Justice Initiative.
The donations will help the organizations reduce opportunity barriers through education and economic advancement, criminal justice reform and improving police-community relations.
The Packers players leading the effort are Randall Cobb, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Aaron Rodgers, Lance Kendricks, and Mason Crosby.
Each player and their teammates chose an organization to donate to. They are:
• CASA Brown County: Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Brown County is a nonprofit organization that provides a voice for abused and neglected children in Brown and Marinette Counties who are under the legal protection of the court system. Their vision is for every child to feel safe and secure in their home and heart.
• Ha Ha’s HERO Foundation: The mission of Ha Ha’s HERO Foundation is to provide economically-challenged students in Title I Schools with a voice of motivation, empowerment, and encouragement so they can achieve academic excellence, develop positive personal skills and make positive decisions to avoid high-risk behavior. HERO stands for Hope, Education, Resources and Opportunity.
• Legal Action of Wisconsin: The nonprofit law firm of Legal Action of Wisconsin provides justice for low-income individuals who don’t have the means to pay for legal services. The organization provides lawyers and high-quality legal help at all levels, solving civil legal problems for those struggling and directing advocacy for improving and changing the systems that affect many people in Wisconsin.
• Sherman Phoenix: The Sherman Phoenix Project aims to foster change by transforming the eastern gateway to the Sherman Park neighborhood in Milwaukee into a safe, welcoming space that supports small businesses-of-color offering diverse foods, wellness services, and cultural activities. The socially just and culturally rich real estate project will provide mentorship and coaching to help entrepreneurs of color grow their businesses, generate jobs and support the local economy.
• Young Life Green Bay: Young Life is a non-denominational Christian ministry that reaches out to middle school, high school, and college-aged kids to provide opportunities for kids of all abilities and economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Young Life Green Bay accepts kids in the Green Bay area as they are and aims to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ while providing fun, adventurous, life-changing and skill-building experiences.
The NFL Social Justice Initiative was created late last year and aims to dedicate more than $90 million toward social justice and racial inequality causes across the U.S.