Each player named to this year’s Pro Bowl roster has been offered a $5,000 grant from the NFL Foundation. The grants are to help support returning youth and high school football in their respective communities. San Francisco 49ers’ Pro Bowlers LT Trent Williams, FB Kyle Juszczyk and LB Fred Warner have chosen to donate their grants to three schools that have worked with 49ers PREP. The schools are Skyline High School in Oakland, Tennyson High School in Hayward and Balboa High School in San Francisco.
“Skyline football is extremely grateful for this donation,” said the school’s head football coach, Joe Bates. “We work so hard to provide excellent service to our young athletes but sometimes it’s hard with limited access to funds. We will use these funds to make sure our young athletes have the equipment to compete and also professional attire to send them off into adulthood correctly.”
Many of Skyline’s students come from homes that are socially and economically challenged, and the football program is integral in helping student-athletes stay focused on their futures.
The Lancer football program at Tennyson High School takes pride in teaching its student athletes respect, commitment, team work and diligence.
“Due to COVID-19 we haven’t had the chance to do any fundraising we would typically do to help support our team throughout the season,” said Tennyson head football coach, Terry Smith. “I thought I was going to have to take money out of my own pocket to make sure these athletes get the opportunities they deserve. This grant fills that hole…at the right time too.”
Balboa High School’s mission is “sustaining a culture of continuous improvement” and the football program “strives to enrich the mental, physical and emotional well-being of our students through competitive athletics where lifelong lessons of sportsmanship, individual effort, teamwork, integrity, commitment, and self-discipline are emphasized.”
These grants will do so much to help the student-athletes at their respective schools.