Jax Gives 2017

Sunday, November 12, 2017 · THE TIMES-UNION J-13
jacksonville gives
JACKSONVILLE SPORTS COUNCIL
Sports
Continued from J-10
Sports Council and Gator Bowl
association.
“It’s an unparalleled experience,
and it gives the kids an
escape from their day-to-day
lives,” Cox said. “These are
pretty awesome kids! I think
they have a much bigger impact
on our lives, than we have on
theirs.”
Another favorite project takes
place every year on the Sunday
after the Georgia-Florida game,
when the Little Gator Bowl is
played. There are four games
for eight Jacksonville Pop Warner
teams of ages from five to
15. The event is free and open to
the public.
“This is a great family and
community event,” Cox said.
“And you should see those kids’
faces light up when they come
out of the tunnel and onto the
field.”
Each year, the council also
holds a Sports Career Fair for
middle-school students. The
last event, held in March 2017,
had 400 attendees.
“Sometimes charitable organizations
seem to skip over
middle-school students, so we
decided to adopt DuPont Middle
School,” Vanderlaan said.
“Then, we have to decide how
we will have a positive impact
on these kids. So, we used our
connections to entertain the
kids and inform them at the
same time, while also highlighting
the importance of getting an
education.
“A lot of kids dream of playing
professional sports, but —
for most — that’s just not realistic.
So we show them the other
careers centered on the sports
field by bringing in 15 to 20
sports professionals for the Career
Fair,” Vanderlaan said. “We
bring in broadcasters and caterers,
public relations people and
physical therapists, etc. They’re
always surprised at the number
of jobs connected with sports in
some way.”
The next Career Fair will be
held in January and Vanderlaan
expects 12 to 13 schools to attend.
One of the Sports Council’s
most important projects has to
be the Awards of Excellence,
which are $2,500 scholarships
for the four top student/athletes
in the region whether male or
female.
“The scholarships are awarded
at the Coaches Luncheon before
the TaxSlayer Bowl, which
is a real kick for the recipients,”
Vanderlaan said. “We’re very
grateful to Wells Fargo for partnering
with us to make these
awards happen.”
Each year for the last 15 to 20
years, Gator Bowl Sports, followed
by the Sports Council,
has been providing tickets to
the TaxSlayer Bowl for children
and youth organizations
through the Send a Child to the
Game Program.
“For the past 10 years, we’ve
partnered with the YMCA and
many youth groups to provide
this experience to 1,200
children and their families,”
Cox said. “We provide a game
ticket, pre-game meal, transportation
to and from the game
and a commemorative T-shirt.
Many kids have never been to
a college football game or to
EverBank Field. We’re about
to expand the program to
do something like this every
month throughout the year, so
the kids will see the Sharks, the
Armada, the Jumbo Shrimp, the
Icemen, etc.”
Cox said that individuals can
sponsor a child or a busload of
40 children for this event, or
can donate any amount to help
keep the project going.
“”With this program and so
many of our other programs, we
have the opportunity to utilize
our connections [in the sports
world] to help kids,” Cox said.
“Experiences are the very best
possible things we can give to
kids, and we make sure that
there is element of education in
the experience. It’s so important
that, while they’re having fun,
they learn something that will
prepare them for the future.”
The Little Gator Bowl is presented by the Jacksonville Sports Council at EverBank Field every year on Sunday
following the Georgia-Florida game. Four games are played to determine the Greater Jacksonville Pop Warner
Division winners. (Photos provided by the Jacksonville Sports Council)
The quarterly speaker program sponsored by the Sports Council brought in sportscaster Lesley Visser last
spring. About 30 girls were selected to attend the luncheon, speech and question-and-answer period, where
they were able to hold one-on-one conversations with Visser.