Miami Dolphins Host FOOTBALL UNITES™ Holiday Gift Event for South Florida Families
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December 18, 2019
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Miami Dolphins Host FOOTBALL UNITES™ Holiday Gift Event for South Florida Families
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Miami Dolphins players Trevor Davis, Mike Gesicki, Davon Godchaux, Mack Hollins, Andy Jones, Reshad Jones, Durval Queiroz Neto, Eric Rowe, Linden Stephens, Keaton Sutherland, De’Lance Turner, J’Marcus Webb, Albert Wilson and Jomal Wiltz, T.D., the Miami Dolphins Women’s Organization (MDWO) along with Dolphins’ executives and staff hosted their FOOTBALL UNITES™ annual holiday gift event for 200 members of deserving South Florida families at Hard Rock Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
“It’s a great experience being out here with all these families to spread holiday cheer,” Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki said. “I just remember when I was a little kid waking up on Christmas to gifts is a feeling I’ll never forget. So, to help out and be the reason that these kids can experience that and have gifts is great. Being here in Miami and using our platform in the right way to impact these families, not only at this time but all year long, that the Dolphins give us the opportunity to do speaks volumes to the kind of guys we have on the team and the organization we are a part of.”
Pre-selected by Miami Dolphins’ FOOTBALL UNITES™ partnering programs, the invited families had the opportunity to interact with players, take photos with Santa and participate together in holiday games and activities. The event included a festive dinner and was followed by a gift announcement to reveal and distribute the player-purchased holiday gifts to the participants. Over the years, the Miami Dolphins’ holiday gift event has impacted more than 1,000 youth from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
“It’s important for us to share the opportunities that we have with others who are not as privileged. We are proud to partner with the Dolphins to share the kindness, generosity and friendship they show,” North Miami Police Department Chief of Police Larry Juriga said. “It’s the Dolphins putting diverse groups and people of all different backgrounds together and then each individual group gets to become friends with each other and the multitude of people coming together especially during the holidays is fantastic.”
Participating FOOTBALL UNITES™ programs included the Anti-Defamation League, Be Strong International, Breakthrough Miami, Circle of Brotherhood, City Of Miami Police, Consulate General of Columbia, Coral Springs Police, Flite Center, Jewish Community Center, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Mavuno Project, Miami-Dade County Asian American Advisory Board, Miami-Dade County Police Department, Miami Gardens Police Department, Mission Continues, National Christian Foundation, NOBLE, North Miami Beach Police Athletic League, North Miami Police Athletic League, Pridelines, Sant La, Special Olympics Florida, Trayvon Martin Foundation, United Way Broward, United Way Miami, Urban League of Broward, Urban League of Palm Beach, YWCA and 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project.
These efforts and initiatives align with the organization’s goal to level the playing field through the power of teamwork to inspire a healthier, more educated and united South Florida community. Dolphins Chairman of the Board & Managing General Partner Stephen Ross and Dolphins players created the FOOTBALL UNITES™ program as a way to bring positive social change. The Miami Dolphins organization believes it is important to be inclusive of the diversity and aware of the intersections that make up South Florida, uniting groups of different races, genders, sexual orientations, identities, abilities and faiths around the power of football.
These programs connect to the NFL’s Inspire Change platform, showcasing the collaborative efforts of players, owners and the league to create positive change in communities across the country and work with RISE – the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality – to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations. Information on the FOOTBALL UNITES™ program can be found here. To learn more about RISE, visit here. Fans can join the conversation with the NFL’S Inspire Change program by clicking here
These events are part of an ongoing series of the #DolphinsHuddlefor100 service projects as part of the NFL’s 100th celebration. The NFL has invited fans, players, clubs and employees to join Huddle for 100, an effort to inspire 1 million people to volunteer 100 minutes of their time to make meaningful contributions to their communities. For more information on the NFL Huddle and to see volunteer opportunities with the Dolphins, visit https://www.miamidolphins.com/community/specialteams.
