Miami Dolphins Announce Week 12 Youth Programs Awards With Partner Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE)
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November 23, 2016
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Miami Dolphins Announce Week 12 Youth Programs Awards With Partner Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE)
Miami – The Miami Dolphins and the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) recognize the Week 12 youth football players, coach and parent who have demonstrated their commitment to being leaders on and off the field:
- High School Player of the Week: Yasir Abdullah from Miami Carol City Senior High School. Abdullah dominated the opposition, recording eight total tackles and five sacks in the Chiefs’ second-round playoff victory against Miami Northwestern Senior High School.
- High School Coach of the Week: Dameon Jones from Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School. This is Jones’ first season coaching the Lions, but they are playing very well and defeated number one ranked Oxbridge Academy 30-13 this past weekend.
- Youth Player of the Week: Matthew O’Dowd from the Lauderhill Broncos Varsity of the Gold Coast Pop Warner football league. O’Dowd not only excels on the football field, but also in the classroom. His name has been submitted for Pop Warner National Academic All-American status, which recognizes scholar-athletes who maintain a 96 percent or better grade point average. Currently, O’Dowd has earned a 98 percent GPA.
- Team Mom of the Week: Shaketta Simmonds from the Kendall Kolts 9U of the Miami Xtreme football league. Simmonds takes being a team mom to the next level. She arranges a hydration schedule for the team and also prepares home-cooked meals for the players and families every home game. Additionally, Simmonds prays with players and families, makes sure players have transportation to and from practices and games and even arranged a breast cancer awareness dinner for the Kolts family. She also encourages the kids to read and has them submit book reports every week. Simmonds has taught her players the true meaning of responsibility and respect, and the Kendall Kolts are so grateful that she is their team mom.
Each award recipient will be presented with a plaque on the field during the Nov. 27 Dolphins home game at Hard Rock Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers, and receive acknowledgement of their accomplishment in the game program and through the Dolphins’ and RISE’s social media platforms. They also will receive a pair of tickets to a Miami Dolphins home game and a Dolphins/RISE T-shirt.
As a newly added component of the program and part of the Dolphins/RISE partnership, winners will be empowered to make a difference by participating in a RISE training program where they will learn how to use the unifying power of sport to promote the importance and benefits of unity, equality and inclusiveness as well as address racial tensions their teams, schools and communities might experience.
Awardees also will be encouraged to take a pledge, committing to stand up to racial inequality and share how they plan to affect change by creating a “How I RISE” video message, which will be posted on RISEtoWIN.org.
About Miami Dolphins Youth Programs
The Miami Dolphins Youth Programs’ mission is to emphasize the importance of education, physical fitness and positive choices for kids in a safe and fun environment. The Miami Dolphins Youth Programs’ vision is to prepare the next generation of leaders in staying physically active through our Junior Training Camps (JTC), Youth Football Clinics and Youth Football Camps. The goal is to promote Youth Football in the South Florida community.
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 nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the unifying power of sports to advance race relations and drive social progress. Supported by an unprecedented alliance of sports leagues, organizations, educators, media networks, sports professionals and athletes, 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.
