NFL Charities Donates $100,000 to 26 Non-Profits; 2 on Maui Benefit

By Sonia Isotov

South Maui Sharks and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui are among twenty-six Hawaiian non-profit organizations who will benefit from $100,000 as part of the NFL Charities Pro Bowl Grant Program, the NFL announced Thursday.

For more than a decade, NFL Charities has provided grants to Hawaiian-based non-profit organizations focused on youth education, health and physical fitness.

NFL Charities is a non-profit organization created by the 32 member clubs of the National Football League to enable the teams to collectively make grants to charitable and worthwhile causes on a national scale.

Since its inception, NFL Charities has granted more than $120 million to more than 640 different organizations. NFL Charities’ primary funding categories include: sports-related medical research and education grants; player foundation grants in support of the philanthropic work of current and former NFL players; impact grants to support national youth health and fitness education initiatives as part of a league-wide commitment to fight childhood obesity; financial assistance for former NFL players in need via direct support to the NFL Player Care Foundation; team program grants which supplement the charitable and community activities of the 32 NFL clubs.

In addition to League-wide community support programs as well as charitable dollars allocated by the 32 NFL teams and owners to community initiatives nationwide, several non-profit foundations support the NFL Giving initiative including NFL Charities, the NFL Youth Football Fund, NFL Disaster Relief Fund and NFL Player Care Foundation.

The organizations awarded grants are:

» After-School All-Stars Hawaii
» Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui
» Children’s Alliance of Hawaii, Inc.
» Diversity Activities National Association
» Family Programs Hawaii
» Friends of the Library of Hawaii
» Friends of the Missing Child Center – Hawaii
» Hale Kipa, Inc.
» Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation
» Hawaii Council on Economic Education
» Hawaiian Kamali’i, Inc.
» Honolulu Armed Services YMCA
» HUGS (Help, Understanding & Group Support)
» KAMP Hawaii, Inc.
» Make A Wish, Hawaii, Inc.
» Making Dreams Come True, Valley of Rainbows
» Marimed Foundation
» Pacific Big Boyz Conference
» Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance
» Ronald McDonald House Charities of Hawaii
» South Maui Sharks
» Special Olympics Hawaii
» Waikiki Community Center
» Waikiki Health Center
» YMCA of Honolulu
» Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Oahu