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Press Release

NFL and United Way Receive Education Innovation Award Presented by EVERFI at Nasdaq

Award is most recent honor for Character PlaybookTM initiative 

Alexandria, VA (June 13, 2017) - The National Football League (NFL) and United Way Worldwide were honored yesterday at the Education Innovation Awards presented by EVERFI, Inc. at the Nasdaq Marketsite in New York City. The award recognizes Character PlaybookTM, a digital learning resource providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to cultivate and maintain healthy relationships during their critical middle school years. The NFL and United Way strengthen communities and empower students through support of this innovative program. Twenty institutions were honored with this distinction at a ceremony hosted on June 12.

Honorees were selected based on a set of criteria that included the scale and impact of their digital education initiatives as well as unique student engagement and employee volunteering activities that supplement their programs.

Across the country, Character PlaybookTM is helping students develop healthy relationships and social norms by teaching the importance of treating each other with respect, communicating effectively and reacting appropriately to challenges they face in school. The program will be evaluated by measuring student knowledge gains as well as attitude and behavioral change. Since 2016, the web-based program has reached over 70,000 students.

United Way Worldwide NFL Partnership Director Tracey Holmes, left, with Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Bowman.

“Character Playbook is a forward-thinking program that helps young students learn to navigate complicated social-emotional conflicts,” said Executive Director of NFL Foundation Alexia Gallagher. “The NFL is proud to work with United Way and EVERFI as we engage with communities on important, real-world issues. Effective communication and conflict-resolution are valuable skills that students of all ages benefit from learning on a digital platform that is both informative and interactive.”

“Good character is a critical building block of strong individuals and strong communities,” said Brian Gallagher, President and CEO of United Way Worldwide.  “By helping young people develop and recognize healthy relationships and stand up to bullying, Character Playbook is providing our next generation with the tools to succeed – and it is another great example of how the NFL and United Way are combining the love of team with a deep commitment to community to make a difference.”

Character PlaybookTM is comprised of six interactive, digital modules that cover key concepts around positive character development, social-emotional learning, and building healthy relationships. Designed for 7th – 9th graders, the digital learning experience enables students to engage with true-to-life scenarios that include bystander intervention strategies and positive relationship examples.

“When we founded EVERFI back in 2008, we drove an RV across the country asking educators how we could use digital learning to prepare students for the real-world challenges that they face in high school and beyond,” said EVERFI Co-Founder and President Jon Chapman. “Today, we thank the organizations who have joined for that ride, and we honor their deep commitment to investing in communities and preparing students with the 21st Century skills they need to lead healthy, productive lives.”

 

About The NFL Foundation

The National Football League Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those touched by the game of football – from players at all levels to communities across the country. The NFL Foundation represents the 32 NFL clubs and supports the health, safety and wellness of athletes, youth football, and the communities that support our game. For more information on The NFL Foundation, visit: www.NFLFoundation.org. 

About United Way Worldwide

United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.8 million volunteers, 9.8 million donors worldwide, and more than $4.7 billion raised every year, United Way is the world’s largest privately-funded nonprofit. We’re engaged in nearly 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited.

About EVERFI

EVERFI is the leading education technology company that provides learners of all ages education for the real world, through innovative and scalable digital learning. Founded in 2008, EVERFI is fueled by its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription model and has certified over 16 million learners in critical skill areas.  Some of America’s leading CEOs and venture capital firms are EVERFI investors including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Twitter founder Evan Williams, TPG Growth, The Rise Fund, Advance Publications, and Rethink Education, and Rethink Impact.  The EVERFI Education Network powers more than 4,200 partners in their education initiatives across all 50 states and Canada. Learn more at EVERFI.com

 

Media Contact

Southerlyn Worsham
United Way Worldwide
703-836-7100 ext 321
southerlyn.worsham@uww.unitedway.org