October 7, 2019
A winning professional sports team in any town is a source of terrific joy and community pride, and with the Baltimore Ravens we have a lot to be proud of (including yesterday’s late-game heroics and win over the Steelers!). The Ravens ownership and leadership well understand that winning is an essential but insufficient factor in being a local treasure. They fully understand that being an important and consistent force for good in their hometown matters as well. The Ravens’ longstanding support of the Y, and so many other worthy local organizations, is a strong testament to what makes them so special. From the over-decade long support of and representation at our annual Y donor appreciation event in Carroll County (made possible by the equally community-minded Marty Hill), to the frequent acts of kindness, generosity and volunteerism by Ravens players and leadership, the Ravens and the Y are an unbeatable partnership!
The two most recent examples of that partnership played out over the past several weeks. As part of the NFL’s Huddle for 100, teams and community members are working together to reach the NFL’s goal of accumulating 100 million minutes of community service in honor of its 100th season, and the Y in Central Maryland has partnered with the Ravens to help them accomplish that.
A few weeks ago, Ravens offensive tackle Orlando Brown teamed up with Y volunteers, associates, the United Way, Chesapeake Employers Insurance, and Guidehouse to build and plant planters for the block in front of the historic Druid Hill Y, providing joy and a much-needed greener look to the neighborhood.
Last week, Ravens players, cheerleaders and even Poe the mascot showed up at Waverly Elementary/Middle School (a Y community school and after school site next door to our Weinberg Y) to donate brand new bicycles and helmets for students participating in the Y’s program there.
The Ravens’ Play 60 challenge promotes physical fitness and nutrition education to help decrease the growing rate of obesity in children. Ravens players Jaleel Scott, Antoine Wesley, Otaro Alaka, and Aaron Adeoye, Ravens cheerleaders and Poe, in partnership with Target, rewarded students at the school for participating in the challenge by providing each with their own new bike and helmet. Lunch was provided by Subway.
I would like to give a special shout out to everyone who helped make these events successful, including Y associates Jayson Green, Eric Somerville, Sasha Batts, Alexis Perkins, Megan Styrczula, Jazymn Hudson, Catrina Springer, Evoria Clark, and Tonya Hull, along with all of the parents and volunteers at the Waverly Elementary/Middle School team, led by Dr. Tanya Green.
These two really exciting and rewarding days of volunteerism underscore the power of partnership and community engendered by the Ravens, in service of building a better Baltimore for all. We are thankful to the Ravens and to everyone who came together to bring so much joy to these two neighborhoods. In my view, this type of volunteerism and civic action is among the most important work our Y does every single day.
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland