Stephen Ross and Miami Dolphins Players Create Yearly Fund to Advocate for Social Justice Programs
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November 4, 2017
Stephen Ross and Miami Dolphins Players Create Yearly Fund to Advocate for Social Justice Programs
MIAMI – Stephen Ross and Miami Dolphins players announced that they have created a yearly fund for advocacy and social justice programs. In addition, the Miami Dolphins and its players will highlight groups and organizations in South Florida that tackle these challenges in the community during Miami Dolphins home games.
During 2017-18, the organization and players will identify and support social justice programs, including:
- 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.
These initiatives will be in addition to the previous work in this space through the team’s collaboration with the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE). Founded and created by Ross in October 2015, RISE harnesses the unifying power of sports to improve race relations and drive social progress. Since its founding, RISE programs have reached more than 30,000 students, coaches and athletic staff at the high school, collegiate and professional level. To learn more about RISE, visit risetowin.org.
Miami Dolphins activate Larsen
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November 4, 2017
Miami Dolphins activate Larsen
MIAMI – The Miami Dolphins today announced they have activated center/guard Ted Larsen off injured reserve and placed him on the active roster.
Larsen was signed by the Dolphins as an unrestricted free agent from Chicago on March 10, 2017 before being placed on injured reserve on Sept. 4, 2017. An eight-year NFL veteran, Larsen has played in 102 career games with 65 starts and appeared in all 16 games with eight starts last year for the Bears. He also spent time with Tampa Bay (2010-13) and Arizona (2014-15). Larsen originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick (205th overall) by New England in the 2010 NFL draft.
| Name |
Pos. |
Hgt. |
Wgt. |
Birthdate |
Exp. |
College |
Hometown |
Acq. |
| Ted Larsen |
C/G |
6-3 |
320 |
6/13/87 |
8 |
NC State ’10 |
Palm Harbor, Fla. |
UFA, ’17 (Chi.) |
Miami Dolphins And Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) Announce Youth Programs Week 9 Award Winners
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November 1, 2017
***Photo Credit: Miami Dolphins***
Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cwog7x41b3339ed/AAAfSGpDVmTNSuGoYU1ZFqyUa?dl=0
Miami Dolphins And Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) Announce Youth Programs Week 9 Award Winners
Miami, FL – The Miami Dolphins and the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) today announced their Week 9 award winners in a program designed to recognize the members of the community who have demonstrated their commitment to being leaders on and off the field.
Each week, the Dolphins identify a high school coach of the week, high school player of the week, youth player of the week and team mom of the week. Award recipients are presented with a plaque on the field during a Dolphins home game at Hard Rock Stadium and receive acknowledgement of their accomplishment in the game program and through the Dolphins’ and RISE’s social media platforms. They also receive tickets to a Miami Dolphins home game, access to the Dolphins/RISE pregame tailgate and a Dolphins/RISE T-shirt. For each home game, the Dolphins identify a team of the week and they will be on the field during the national anthem. The program concludes at the Dolphins-Patriots game on December 11 where the Dolphins will honor yearly award winners in all categories with the exception of the team of the year.
Week 9 Winners:
- High School Coach of the Week: Daryle Heidelburg from Miami Norland Senior High School. Heidelburg guided the Vikings to a 28-27 upset win over the state’s No. 1 6A team, Miami Northwestern after being down 20 points going into the second half. The Vikings were the eighth ranked team in 6A prior to the matchup. Norland’s victory over Northwestern will likely move the Vikings up one spot in the rankings prior to the playoffs beginning in two weeks.
- High School Player of the Week: Ryle Aguila from Pembroke Pines Somerset Academy. The sophomore quarterback completed 21-of-30 passes for 504 yards and seven touchdowns in a win over Boca Christian. He also added two rushing touchdowns and accounted for 546 total yards of total offense.
- Youth Player of the Week: Cornell Mims from the North Miami Beach Sundevils 12U of the Miami Xtreme Youth Football League. Mims rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the Sundevils victory over the Doral Broncos.
- Team Mom of the Week: Catherine Richardson from the West Pines Wildcats of the American Youth Football League. Richardson is retired from the Air Force and has been an amazing team mom. She is the first one at the park and the last one to leave. Richardson has been the first to do everything for her team from fundraising to fitting uniforms and spends countless hours volunteering. Even through hard times, Richardson always greets everyone with a smile and asks how she can help. She exemplifies what all team mom’s aspire to be and is one of the reason why her park is successful.
- Team of the Week: Red Zone Sports Flag. The Red Zone Sports Flag team represented South Florida at the 2017 Pro Bowl and became the 2017 Boys NFL FLAG National Champions powered by USA Football.
About Miami Dolphins Youth Programs
The Miami Dolphins Youth Programs’ mission is to transform the lives of youth football players by instilling character building and reinforcing safety standards that help to increase football participation and grow a new generation of Dolphins fans.
About the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE)
Founded in 2015 by Stephen M. Ross, the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the unifying power of sports to improve race relations and drive social progress. Supported by an unprecedented alliance of sports leagues, organizations, athletes, educators, media networks and sports professionals, RISE uses sports as a vehicle to promote understanding, respect and equality. Through public awareness campaigns and educational programming, RISE aims to spark enduring action. To learn more, visit RISEtoWIN.org.
