Last summer, the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee and NFL Foundation, in partnership with UnitedHealthcare, awarded Playworks a $100,000 grant. The grant has enabled Playworks to provide a full-time coach in 18 Title 1 elementary schools, keeping more than 13,500 students active for up to 45 minutes throughout the school day.
“Playworks has been honored and excited to partner with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee and UnitedHealthcare and give our kids a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in fantastic events,” said Chuck Warshaver, executive director of Playworks Arizona. “We are appreciative of the funding, which will help us to grow from serving 13,000 low income students to more than 20,000 next school year.”
Yes, a record was broken, but there was a greater purpose of yesterday’s event. According to Playworks CEO and Founder Jill Vialet, "If you look at what's going on in schools today, we've forgotten how important it is to play and we've forgotten how much play teaches us about how to get along and how to take responsibility for one another." Vialet remarks, "We're reminding the kids how to do that."
And what a great way to remind them.
